Uttar Pradesh may witness another round of Legislative Council elections before the 2027 Assembly polls, with 12 MLC seats scheduled to fall vacant on January 30, 2027. Elections to these seats could take place in November or December 2026, ahead of the state Assembly elections. The members will be elected by MLAs, making the current strength of political parties in the state legislature a key factor in determining the outcome. At present, the BJP holds 11 of these 12 seats, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) holds one. However, the changed composition of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly could alter the balance of power in the upcoming contest, giving the opposition party an opportunity to increase its representation in the Legislative Council.

NDA Could Win 8–9 Seats, SP May Secure 3–4
Based on the current strength of the Assembly, estimates suggest that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could win eight to nine seats, while the Samajwadi Party may secure three to four. This would represent a potential reduction of two to three seats for the ruling alliance compared with its previous performance, while the SP could gain a similar number. The BJP currently has 256 MLAs, while the SP has 101. With its alliance partners and other supporting legislators included, the NDA’s effective strength is estimated at around 294. These figures provide an indication of the possible electoral arithmetic, although the final outcome will depend on the candidates, voting patterns and the numbers in place when the election takes place.

What Happened in the Previous MLC Elections?
The previous elections to these 12 seats were held in January 2021, when the BJP had 304 MLAs and the SP had 47. The BJP initially won 10 seats, while the SP secured two. Subsequent vacancies and changes in membership increased the BJP’s representation among these seats to 11 and reduced the SP’s share to one. Among the BJP leaders elected in 2021 were Dinesh Sharma, Swatantra Dev Singh, Arvind Kumar Sharma, Laxman Acharya, Salil Vishnoi, Ashwini Tyagi and Dharamveer Prajapati. Later, changes occurred following appointments, resignations and the death of a sitting member. These developments explain why the present composition differs from the original election results.

Whose Tenure Ends in January 2027?
The 12 seats whose members’ terms are due to end include 11 held by BJP leaders and one held by the SP. The BJP members are Swatantra Dev Singh, Arvind Kumar Sharma, Kunwar Manvendra Singh, Govind Narayan Shukla, Salil Vishnoi, Ashwini Tyagi, Dharamveer Prajapati, Surendra Chaudhary, Dharmendra Senthwar, Padmasen Chaudhary and Dara Singh Chauhan. Rajendra Chaudhary represents the SP among the outgoing members. For the SP, the upcoming election offers an opportunity to improve its strength in the Legislative Council before the 2027 Assembly elections. However, the projected seat distribution remains an estimate based on the current political arithmetic, not a confirmed result. The Election Commission’s final schedule and candidate announcements will determine the next steps in the electoral process.