A surprise win. A deleted post. And some quick jabs. The Nagpur MLC polls result has provided ammo for the Congress to target the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who the party said had to delete his “boastful” post that he made earlier on Wednesday.
While the ruling party in the state and the Centre taunted the Congress on Wednesday for “drawing a blank” in the MLC polls, with the Prime Minister himself leading the cheeky charge, in the end the party sprang a surprise by winning the Nagpur seat.
In a post on Wednesday, the Prime Minister had mocked the Congress on the MLC election results.
MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won? 🧐
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2026
Read | “Guess How Many Congress Won?” PM’s Taunt With Emoji After MLC Results
Overall, the Maharashtra results also gave the opposition MVA reasons to cheer as the alliance romped home with three out of the five seats that went to polls in the state.
The ruling Mahayuti could only win two seats.
Congress’ Abhijit Vanjari (centre) won the Nagpur MLC seat
Photo Credit: Maharashtra Congress
Congress leaders lost no time in taunting BJP leaders, including PM Modi and CM Devendra Fadnavis, over their social media posts indicating that the party had scored a duck in the polls.
“By deleting the tweet, Fadnavis has once again preserved Savarkar’s legacy! Fadnavis posted even before the results were out. But his boastful arrow turned back and pierced straight into his chest! In the end, he was forced to delete the tweet,” the state Congress said on X.
ट्विट डिलीट करून फडणवीसांनी पुन्हा एकदा सावरकरांचा वारसा जपला! संपूर्ण निकाल हाती येण्याआधीच मोठा तीर मारल्याच्या आविर्भावात फडणवीसांनी ट्विट केलं. पण तोच तीर उलटला आणि थेट त्यांच्या छातीत घुसला! अखेर नामुष्की ओढवून घेत ट्विट डिलीट करण्याची वेळ आली. फडणवीसजी, एवढ्यातच घाबरलात? हा तर फक्त ट्रेलर आहे! २०२९ मध्ये महाराष्ट्राची जनता तुमचा असा काही राजकीय कंडका पाडेल की, आजचं हे ट्विटही तुम्हाला आठवेल! All the best, फडणवीसजी! पुढच्या झटक्यासाठी तयार राहा. @Dev_Fadnavis
— Maharashtra Congress (@INCMaharashtra) October 28, 2026
“Mr Fadnavis, scared already at this stage? This is just the trailer! In 2029, the people of Maharashtra will drop such a political bombshell on you that even this tweet of today will come back to haunt you! All the best, Mr. Fadnavis! Get ready for the next jolt,” it added.
Maharashtra Congress shared a screenshot of a deleted tweet by Fadnavis on social media, which said the grand old party got a “big fat zero” in the polls.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hit back at the Congress with a cheeky post congratulating the party on winning one seat, and sarcastically apologising for his earlier post on zero for Congress.
My deepest apologies to Congress! Yes, you have won ONE seat, not ZERO. 😂
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 29, 2026
Read | BJP Ahead But Akhilesh Yadav’s Party Gains Ground In UP MLC Elections
In Nagpur, Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari was on Thursday declared the winner after a keenly-watched counting that stretched for more than 40 hours. Wanjari defeated BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes to retain the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency seat, which has been a traditional stronghold of the BJP.
The Congress also clubbed the Nagpur results with the BJP’s loss in Varanasi, which was won by its ally SP.
It is a big setback for the BJP as it has lost in the hometown of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who had campaigned extensively for Kohale.
Gadkari was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from the Nagpur graduates’ constituency for 24 years, from July 1990 to May 2014.
With the Congress nominee’s victory, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has won three of the five MLC seats in the October 23 elections. The BJP-led ruling Mahayuti alliance got two seats.
Mahayuti allies BJP and Shiv Sena won a seat each out of the five Maharashtra Legislative Council constituencies where polling was held on October 23.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also took a dig at the chief minister, saying that the BJP lost despite Fadnavis himself campaigning in Nagpur. He also rubbed it in, saying that this was a result of elections being held via ballot papers and not EVMs.
आदरणीय देवेंद्र फडणवीस साहेब, आपण स्वतः वैयक्तिक लक्ष घातलेल्या नागपूर पदवीधर मतदारसंघात, ज्या ठिकाणी आपण स्वतः घरोघरी जाऊन बंडखोरांना माघार घेण्यासाठी मनवले, त्याच नागपूर मतदारसंघात, संघाचे मुख्यालय असलेल्या भागात भाजपला पराभव बघावा लागला, याचा अर्थ स्पष्ट आहे…… आपल्याला ट्विट डिलीट करावे लागले, याचे दुःख आहेच; पण आपल्या डिलीट झालेल्या ट्विटमध्ये दिसत असलेला सत्तेचा एवढा ईगो बरा नव्हे. असो, समजू शकतो. कदाचित निवडणूक बॅलेटवर झाली होती, याचा आपल्याला विसर पडला असावा, म्हणून आधीच ट्विट झाले असेल… विजयी उमेदवार अभिजित वंजारी यांचे अभिनंदन, मतदानरूपी आशीर्वाद देणाऱ्या पदवीधरांचे आभार, लढणाऱ्या सर्व उमेदवारांनादेखील शुभेच्छा! @Dev_Fadnavis @INCMaharashtra @wanjarri
— Rohit Pawar (@RRPSpeaks) October 28, 2026
The Opposition has long alleged manipulation of EVMs in favour of the BJP, a charge denied by the party and the Election Commission.
NCP leader Praful Patel called for an immediate review of the party’s priorities and organisational structure after its sole candidate lost the elections.
