Sanjay Raut Targets BJP Over MLC Election Losses in Nagpur, Varanasi and Lucknow

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party over its setbacks in recent Legislative Council elections, highlighting defeats in Nagpur, Varanasi and Lucknow.

Speaking in Mumbai, Raut argued that the results were significant because voting in the Graduate and Teachers’ constituencies was conducted through ballot papers.

‘BJP Must Accept This Defeat,’ Says Raut

Commenting on the Sanjay Raut MLC election results controversy, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said the BJP should accept its losses in constituencies he described as politically important.

Raut said:

“In Varanasi, the constituency represented by PM Modi, the BJP lost when ballot papers were used. They also lost in Lucknow.”

He also pointed to the BJP’s defeat in the Nagpur Graduates’ constituency in Maharashtra.

The remarks represent Raut’s political interpretation of the results.

BJP Wins Six of 11 UP MLC Seats

Despite losing key contests, the BJP won six of the 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats that went to polls, matching its tally from the previous election.

The Samajwadi Party won five seats, improving its position from three seats in 2020.

The SP retained both the Varanasi Teachers’ and Varanasi Graduates’ constituencies, while also winning the Lucknow Graduates’ seat.

Varanasi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, while Lucknow is represented in the Lok Sabha by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Congress Retains Nagpur Graduates’ Seat

In Maharashtra, Congress candidate Abhijit Wanjari retained the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency after defeating BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale.

Nagpur is politically significant as the home base of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi secured three of the five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats, while the ruling Mahayuti won two.

Raut Questions BJP Focus on Congress Performance

Raut also questioned why BJP leaders were focusing on the Congress failing to win seats in some of the wider MLC contests.

He argued that opposition victories in constituencies such as Nagpur, Varanasi and Lucknow were politically significant.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier highlighted the Congress’s limited performance in the broader round of Legislative Council elections while noting that the polls were conducted using ballot papers.

Ballot Paper Debate Returns to Political Spotlight

The latest MLC results have again triggered political debate over ballot papers and electronic voting machines.

However, the results themselves were mixed: while the BJP suffered defeats in several prominent constituencies, it retained six of 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh and won other Legislative Council contests across the states that went to polls.

The Sanjay Raut MLC election results remarks therefore form part of the wider political contest between the ruling BJP and opposition parties over how the latest Legislative Council verdicts should be interpreted.