In a setback for BJP, Samajwadi Party retains Varanasi Teachers' seat in MLC polls

Samajwadi Party retained the Varanasi Teachers' constituency in the MLC polls, with its candidate Lal Bihari Yadav defeating BJP candidate Pramod Kumar Mishra by nearly 5,000 votes. The victory margin was five times higher than in the previous election. "The educated class in UP has an anti-BJP mindset," Yadav said. SP is also poised to win the Varanasi Graduates' seat.