On October 23, 2026, Maharashtra held Legislative Council elections for five graduate and teachers constituencies.
Center coverage stresses internal blame between BJP and Shiv Sena and urges leadership change in the Mahayuti alliance.
BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawade won the Pune teachers seat.
Shiv Sena’s Kiran Sarnaik retained the Amravati teachers seat.
BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban accused Shiv Sena of undermining the alliance by backing Sachin Sanap.
Right
Fadnavis Mandate Claim
Maharashtra Legislative Council elections on October 23, 2026 saw the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi win three of five graduate and teachers constituencies.
BJP minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule rebuked criticism, saying the 2024 assembly mandate backs Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister and noting the party’s 137-seat win.
MLC Pravin Darekar told Dhangekar to stay within limits and praised progress under Devendra Fadnavis’s leadership.
Congress candidate Abhijit Vanjari retained Nagpur graduates seat, defeating BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale after a 40-hour count.
Blindspot
BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban accused Shiv Sena of undermining the Mahayuti alliance by supporting independent candidate Sachin Sanap in the Pune teachers race.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Right-leaning coverage.
History
After the BJP-Shiv Sena Yuti won 119 of 288 seats in the February-March 1995 Maharashtra assembly, installing Shiv Sena chief Manohar Joshi as the state’s first non-Congress chief minister, the partnership has repeatedly faced internal strain. The 2026 council elections, where the two allies clash over teacher-seat allocations, echo the same alliance-factionalism that reshaped Maharashtra’s power balance.
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Alliance Leadership Challenge
On October 23, 2026, Maharashtra held Legislative Council elections for five graduate and teachers constituencies.
Center coverage stresses internal blame between BJP and Shiv Sena and urges leadership change in the Mahayuti alliance.
BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawade won the Pune teachers seat.
Shiv Sena’s Kiran Sarnaik retained the Amravati teachers seat.
BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban accused Shiv Sena of undermining the alliance by backing Sachin Sanap.
