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 Kedarnath Singh posted a message on social media that was widely interpreted as an indirect acceptance of defeat. He thanked his supporters and said he accepted the public mandate with humility. In the Varanasi Teacher constituency, SP's Lal Bihari Yadav won, enabling the party to retain both seats in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency. Counting for the Varanasi Graduate seat continued late into the night amid high drama and tension. BJP workers and leaders staged sit-ins outside the counting centre, alleging irregularities and demanding the observer's removal. The protests led to brief scuffles with police and temporary halts in counting. SP workers maintained a continuous vigil, with leaders and party workers from adjoining districts arriving in large numbers to extend support, arrange food and water for those on duty, and ensure transparency until the victory certificate was issued. Elsewhere, SP's Dr Akash Agrawal won the Agra Teacher seat, while BJP's Manavendra Pratap Singh won the Agra Graduate seat. SP's Mansingh Yadav won the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduate constituency. BJP candidates Shrichandar Sharma in the Meerut Teacher constituency, Hari Singh Dhillon in the Bareilly-Moradabad Teacher constituency and Dhruv Tripathi in the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teacher constituency were also declared winners. SP's Kanti Singh won the Lucknow Graduate seat. The SP's retention of both seats in Varanasi, along with its victories in the Lucknow Graduate and the Agra Teacher constituencies, is particularly significant. The wins in key urban and educationally influential constituencies are seen as a shot in the arm for the party as it prepares for the 2027 Assembly elections. Speaking after his victory, Ashutosh Sinha credited SP workers and party chief Akhilesh Yadav for the win. "This is not my personal victory, but rather the success of every leader, worker, associate, and well-wisher of the Samajwadi Party who supported me with complete dedication," he said. He said party leaders and workers had worked day and night, remaining on the streets from early morning until late at night for several days to ensure that no malpractice or irregularities occurred during the election and counting. He claimed that the Samajwadi Party would form a PDA government in the state in 2027. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav reacted to the results on X, describing the BJP's performance as a "flop show". Referring to the Varanasi outcome, he said the BJP had lost first during counting and then again during the recounting, calling it a "double defeat" for the "double engine". Yadav said the MLC election results had written the preface to the 2027 UP Assembly elections. He thanked teachers and young voters for their support and vigilance, congratulated the winning candidates, and said the same vigilance and unity would form the decisive foundation for the party's return to power in 2027. However, UP minister Suresh Khanna asked the Samajwadi Party not to get too elated over the MLC poll results. "Six candidates from the BJP-led NDA have emerged victorious, while five seats have gone to the Samajwadi Party. The SP should not get too elated as this is not a victory for their policies. It is, in fact, a reflection of the individual significance of the candidates who personally mobilised voters and put in the extra individual effort to achieve victory," Khanna said....