ECI Announces Biennial Legislative Council Elections for 28 Seats Across Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh
NEW DELHI — The Election Commission of India (ECI) released a press note on September 22, 2026, announcing the schedule for the biennial elections to the Legislative Councils of Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. The elections will fill 28 seats across Graduates’ and Teachers’ Constituencies that are falling vacant due to the retirement of sitting members.
Polling for all 28 constituencies is scheduled for October 23, 2026, with vote counting taking place on October 27, 2026.
Key Election Schedule
* Issue of Notification: September 29, 2026 (Tuesday)
* Last Date for Nominations: October 6, 2026 (Tuesday)
* Scrutiny of Nominations: October 7, 2026 (Wednesday)
* Last Date for Withdrawal of Candidatures: October 9, 2026 (Friday)
* Date of Poll: October 23, 2026 (Friday)
* Hours of Poll: 08:00 AM to 04:00 PM
* Counting of Votes: October 27, 2026 (Tuesday)
* Completion of Election Process: October 31, 2026 (Saturday)
State-Wise Breakdown of Retiring Members
1. Bihar (8 Seats)
Retirement Date: November 16, 2026
* Graduates’ Constituencies:
* Neeraj Kumar (Patna Graduates’)
* Sarvesh Kumar (Darbhanga Graduates’)
* Bansi Dhar Brajwasi (Tirhut Graduates’)
* Dr. N.K. Yadav (Kosi Graduates’)
* Teachers’ Constituencies:
* Naval Kishore Yadav (Patna Teachers’)
* Dr. Madan Mohan Jha (Darbhanga Teachers’)
* Sanjay Kumar Singh (Tirhut Teachers’)
* Afaque Ahmad (Saran Teachers’)
2. Karnataka (4 Seats)
Retirement Date: November 11, 2026
* Graduates’ Constituencies:
* Chidanand M Gowda (Presidency) (Karnataka South-East Graduates’)
* S.V. Sankanur (Karnataka West Graduates’)
* Teachers’ Constituencies:
* Shashil G. Namoshi (Karnataka North-East Teachers’)
* Sri Puttanna (Bangalore Teachers’)
3. Maharashtra (5 Seats)
Retirement Date: December 6, 2026
* Graduates’ Constituencies:
* Chavan Satish Bhanudasrao (Aurangabad Division Graduates’)
* Arun Ganpati Lad (Pune Division Graduates’)
* Abhijit Govindrao Wanjarri (Nagpur Division Graduates’)
* Teachers’ Constituencies:
* Sarnaik Kiran Ramrao (Amravati Division Teachers’)
* Jayant Dinkar Aasgavkar (Pune Division Teachers’)
4. Uttar Pradesh (11 Seats)
Retirement Date: December 6, 2026
* Graduates’ Constituencies:
* Er. Awanish Kumar Singh (Lucknow Division Graduates’)
* Ashutosh Sinha (Varanasi Division Graduates’)
* Dr. Manvendra Pratap Singh ‘Guru Ji’ (Agra Division Graduates’)
* Dinesh Kumar Goel (Meerut Division Graduates’)
* Dr. Man Singh Yadav (Allahabad-Jhansi Division Graduates’)
* Teachers’ Constituencies:
* Umesh Dwivedi (Lucknow Division Teachers’)
* Lal Biharee Yadav (Varanasi Division Teachers’)
* Dr. Aakash Agrawal (Vittavihin wale) (Agra Division Teachers’)
* Shrichand Sharma (Meerut Division Teachers’)
* Hari Singh Dhillo (Bareilly-Moradabad Division Teachers’)
* Dhruv Kumar Tripathi (Gorakhpur-Faizabad Division Teachers’)
Model Code of Conduct
The Model Code of Conduct comes into force immediately in all concerned constituencies. Detailed instructions regarding the elections and electoral conduct signed by Secretary Suman Kumar Das are accessible via the official Election Commission of India website.