Nagpur, October 29, 2026: The Congress has turned the Nagpur Legislative Council election result into a political setback for the BJP, taking aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after the party secured a win in a constituency long considered a BJP stronghold.
Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari defeated the BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes to retain the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency seat. The result came after more than 40 hours of counting, which began on Tuesday and concluded early Thursday.
The victory gave Congress leaders an opportunity to respond to BJP leaders who had criticised the party over its performance in the wider Legislative Council elections. The political exchange grew sharper after a post by Fadnavis, in which he had said Congress had scored a “big fat zero”, was deleted.
Nagpur Result Changes the Political Conversation
Nagpur carries particular political importance for the BJP. It is the home city of Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, both of whom campaigned for Kohale. The city is also the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Wanjari secured 67,231 votes, while Kohale received 63,960. The result allowed the sitting Congress MLC to retain his seat despite the BJP’s efforts to win back the constituency.
The counting process lasted through several rounds, making the outcome a closely watched contest. The final margin of 3,271 votes gave Congress a result it could use to challenge the BJP’s claims of electoral success in Maharashtra.
The Nagpur win was part of a mixed outcome for the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Across the five Maharashtra Legislative Council constituencies that went to polls on October 23, the MVA won three seats, while the BJP-led Mahayuti secured two.
Modi’s Post Becomes Part of the Row
The political argument began after Prime Minister Narendra Modi commented on the broader MLC election results on Wednesday. In a post on X, he pointed out that elections had been held across 28 Legislative Council seats in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka using ballot papers. He then asked how many seats Congress had won.
The remark was aimed at the party’s poor performance in those contests, where Congress had failed to win a seat despite contesting 12. It also referred to the party’s repeated demands for a return to ballot-paper voting amid its allegations concerning electronic voting machines.
However, the Nagpur result gave Congress leaders fresh ground to respond. The party argued that the BJP had been too quick to declare its success before all the results were known.
Congress Targets Fadnavis Over Deleted Post
The Maharashtra Congress unit shared a screenshot of Fadnavis’s deleted post, which described Congress’s performance as a “big fat zero”. The state unit said the chief minister had posted before the final results were available and was later forced to remove the message.
In its response on X, Congress mocked Fadnavis over the deletion and said the Nagpur result had turned his earlier claim against him. The party also suggested that the result was a warning for the BJP ahead of the 2029 political contest in Maharashtra.
Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal also pointed to the BJP’s defeat in Nagpur, highlighting the importance of the constituency to the ruling party.
The criticism was political in nature, and the deleted post became a central part of the exchange between the two sides.
Opposition Leaders Join the Criticism
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also targeted Fadnavis, noting that the chief minister had personally campaigned in Nagpur. Pawar referred to the BJP’s defeat despite the effort put into the contest and linked the result to the fact that the election was conducted using ballot papers.
The wider debate over voting methods remains contentious. Opposition parties have raised allegations about electronic voting machines, while the BJP and the Election Commission have rejected claims of manipulation.
Meanwhile, NCP leader Praful Patel called for an immediate review of his party’s priorities and organisational structure after its candidate lost in the elections.
The Nagpur result has therefore become more than a local contest. For Congress, it offers a chance to challenge the BJP’s political messaging. For the ruling party, the defeat in a familiar stronghold presents an unwelcome result despite its broader electoral performance.
With the Maharashtra MLC results now declared, the exchange over social media posts has added another layer to the political contest between the ruling alliance and the opposition.