Congress Retains Nagpur Graduates' Seat as BJP Suffers Blow in Fadnavis and Gadkari Home Turf

Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari defeated BJP rival Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes to retain the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency seat in a contest that concluded in the early hours of Thursday, October 29, 2026. The counting of votes started on Tuesday morning. Wanjari, the sitting MLC, secured 67,231 votes, while Kohale, a former MLA fielded by the BJP, got 63,960 votes.

The Contest

Kohale initially led Wanjari by 4,294 votes after the second round of counting on Wednesday, polling 60,924 votes against Wanjari's 56,630, while independent candidate Nitesh Karale received 24,249 votes. Because no candidate reached the required quota of first-preference votes, the election moved into elimination rounds and second-preference counting.

Reactions and Impact

The defeat is a major blow for the BJP because it happened in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, both of whom campaigned extensively for Kohale. The Nagpur Division Graduate constituency has long ties to Gadkari, who served as its MLC for several terms before Wanjari defeated BJP candidate Sandip Joshi in the previous election.

Context

Graduates' constituency elections are unique legislative council polls where only college graduates form the voter base, often serving as a key indicator of educated urban sentiment. These high-stakes local contests allow major political parties to test their ground support outside of general assembly and parliamentary elections.