LUCKNOW, Oct. 30 -- After a gruelling counting process in Varanasi that stretched beyond 50 hours, the final tally of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (MLC) elections for Graduates' and Teachers' constituencies gave the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) six seats and the Samajwadi Party (SP) five. The outcome is being viewed as a significant morale booster for the SP ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav said the results had written the preface to the 2027 UP Assembly elections. However, UP minister Suresh Khanna sought to play down the SP's gains.

In the closely watched Varanasi Graduate constituency, SP candidate Ashutosh Sinha emerged victorious after prolonged counting. BJP nominee K...