Samajwadi Party raises concerns over alleged irregularities in UP MLC elections, claiming BJP's involvement in booth capturing and threats to influence results.
AS VOTE COUNTING for 11 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council progresses on October 27, 2026, Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav has levelled serious allegations of electoral malpractice and other forms of manipulation allegedly orchestrated to rig the election process. Vote counting began at 8 am, with 152 candidates in the fray across five graduates’ constituencies and six teachers’ constituencies.
Amid ongoing criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise across the country, Yadav had urged the Election Commission to ensure impartiality in the UP MLC elections. On October 27, 2026, Akhilesh Yadav took to X, alleging irregularities during vote counting in the Agra teachers’ MLC election.
He wrote, “In the Agra block teacher MLC election, the Samajwadi Party candidates are leading, and now there is information that the administration has stopped the counting.” He further urged the Election Commission to take cognizance of the matter and ensure fair vote counting.
In the UP MLC elections, the main contest is predominantly between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP), ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Independent candidates and party rebels are also in the fray. The voting process was completed on October 23, 2026, and with vote counting underway, the much-awaited results are expected to be announced soon. The Samajwadi Party has raised multiple concerns throughout the process.
Earlier, the SP had alleged booth capturing during the election to 11 Legislative Council seats and had also lodged a complaint with the Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer. Based on reports from polling booths and complaints from candidates, the party claimed that booth capturing was allegedly taking place in several districts, including Amroha, Agra, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh and Gorakhpur.
According to a PTI report, the party also alleged that members of the ruling BJP had influenced voting for the 11 seats across 72 districts in the state. Constituencies such as Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat and Unnao are not included in the electoral process.
Akhilesh Yadav also levelled multiple allegations against the BJP, accusing it of attempting to secure victory through manipulation. According to news agency ANI, Yadav alleged that the BJP was engaging in electoral malpractice. He said, “BSA (Basic Shiksha Adhikaris) and DIOS (District Inspectors of Schools) are actively issuing threats and making intimidating phone calls.” On voting day, SP candidate Ashutosh Sinha alleged that the CCTV cameras in a strongroom in Varanasi were switched off for nearly 10 minutes.
The terms of the current MLC members will expire on December 6, 2026. According to reports, of the 11 seats, six are currently held by the BJP, three by the SP and two by independent candidates. The UP MLC elections recorded a total voter turnout of 55.24%, with 1,481,310 eligible voters.
The five graduate constituencies in the UP MLC elections are Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut and Allahabad-Jhansi. The six teachers’ constituencies are Lucknow, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, Gorakhpur-Faizabad and Varanasi. According to News18, early trends suggest that the BJP is leading in Meerut and Lucknow while the SP is leading in Agra.
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
[Rh/VS/HP]
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