Quick answer: Congress candidate and sitting MLC Abhijit Wanjari won the Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency seat in the Maharashtra Legislative Council with 67,231 votes. BJP candidate and former MLA Sudhakar Kohale got 63,960 votes, so the margin was 3,271 votes. Counting started at 8 AM on 27 October 2026 and went on for more than 41 hours. The result was declared in the early hours of 29 October 2026.
Key numbers
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Winner | Abhijit Wanjari (Congress), sitting MLC |
| Winner’s final total | 67,231 |
| Runner-up | Sudhakar Kohale (BJP), former MLA: 63,960 |
| Final margin | 3,271 |
| Votes counted (first preference) | 1,65,906 |
| Invalid votes | 15,032 |
| Valid votes | 1,50,874 |
| Quota needed to win outright | 75,438 |
| First-preference totals after round 2 | Kohale 60,924 · Wanjari 56,630 · Nitesh Karale (Independent) 24,249 |
| Kohale’s lead after first-preference count | 4,294 |
| Counting setup | 84 tables, Divisional Sports Complex, Mankapur |
| Polling date | 23 October 2026 (8 AM–4 PM) |
What is a graduates’ constituency?
Maharashtra has two houses: the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) and the Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad). Members of the Council are called MLCs. Some Council seats are filled by graduates’ constituencies. In these seats, only Indian citizens who are ordinarily resident in the area, have held a graduate degree (or equivalent) for at least three years before the qualifying date, and are enrolled on the separate graduates’ roll can vote. For this election the qualifying date was 1 November 2025. The Nagpur Division seat covers the six districts of the division: Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.
How preferential counting works
Voters rank candidates (1, 2, 3 and so on) instead of marking a single choice. To win outright, a candidate needs the quota, which is roughly half of the valid votes plus one. Here the quota was 75,438 out of 1,50,874 valid votes.
- All first preferences are counted. Nobody reached the quota.
- The lowest candidates are eliminated one by one, and their ballots move to the next preference marked on them.
- Even after these elimination rounds, nobody reached 75,438. The returning officer then declared elected the candidate with the highest combined total, and that was Wanjari with 67,231.
This explains how a candidate who was behind on first preferences went on to win. The second preferences on eliminated candidates’ ballots changed the order.
Timeline of the count
- 22 Sep 2026: The Election Commission of India announced the schedule.
- 29 Sep: The notification was issued.
- 23 Oct: Polling day.
- 27 Oct, 8 AM: Counting began at Mankapur.
- 28 Oct: After round two of first preferences, Kohale was ahead by 4,294.
- 28–29 Oct: Second-preference elimination rounds were counted and Wanjari moved ahead.
- 29 Oct (early hours): Returning Officer and Divisional Commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari handed Wanjari his certificate of election.
- 31 Oct: The ECI deadline to complete the election process.
What it means for Nagpur and Vidarbha
- Continuity: The division’s graduate voters will have the same representative in the Council. Wanjari was the sitting MLC.
- A voice for graduates: Graduates’ MLCs usually take up issues such as education, jobs, recruitment exams and unemployment among young graduates across the six districts.
- Civic agenda: Large city projects such as the Nagpur Metro Phase 3 plan and regional infrastructure are often raised in the legislature, and the Winter Session is held in Nagpur.
- A lesson in turnout: The count shows that second preferences can decide a close race, so voters who rank more than one candidate affect the result.
FAQs
Who won the Nagpur Graduates’ seat in 2026?
Abhijit Wanjari of the Congress won with 67,231 votes.
What was the winning margin?
The margin was 3,271 votes over BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale, who got 63,960.
Why did counting take more than 41 hours?
No candidate reached the 75,438 quota on first preferences. The count then had to go through second-preference elimination rounds, using 84 tables.
Who was leading before the second-preference count?
Sudhakar Kohale was ahead by 4,294 votes after round two of first preferences (60,924 to 56,630).
What was the quota?
The quota was 75,438 votes, based on 1,50,874 valid votes.
How many votes were invalid?
15,032 out of 1,65,906 votes counted were invalid.
Which districts are in the Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency?
Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.
Who can vote in a graduates’ constituency?
Indian citizens ordinarily resident in the Nagpur division who have been graduates (or equivalent) for at least three years before the qualifying date, and who enrolled on the graduates’ roll using Form 18.
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