States » WestPosted at: Oct 30 2026 4:41PM


Educated graduates in Maharashtra have rejected BJP, sent message on protecting constitutional democracy: Congress leader

Pune, Oct 30 (UNI) Senior Maharashtra Pradesh Congress spokesperson Gopal Tiwari on Friday said the victory of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in all three graduate constituencies in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections reflected the "rejection" of the BJP by educated voters and conveyed a wider message in support of protecting constitutional democracy.
Of the five Legislative Council seats, three were reserved for graduate constituencies and two for teachers' constituencies.
The Congress and its MVA allies won all three graduate constituency seats, he said.
The winners included Congress candidate Abhijit Vanjari from Nagpur, NCP (SP) candidate Harshada Jadhav-Deshmukh from Pune and NCP (SP) candidate Dr Pratapsinh Patil from Sambhajinagar.
Tiwari said voters from Western Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha had exercised their franchise keeping the interests of the state and the country in mind.
He said the outcome demonstrated that educated voters continued to support progressive and constitutional values and had rejected what he described as divisive politics.
Referring to Maharashtra's legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, social reformers and saints, Tiwari said the state had a long tradition of progressive thought and social reform.
He alleged that the BJP and its allies had attempted to undermine this legacy through political defections and the misuse of autonomous institutions.
He further said educated voters were looking for development, social harmony and a political environment free from communal tensions.
Tiwari also referred to the legacy of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil, Lokmanya Tilak and Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, saying their ideals continued to influence Maharashtra's progressive outlook.
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on ballot paper voting, Tiwari questioned his understanding of the electoral process in graduate and teachers' constituencies, where elections are conducted through ballot papers and votes are counted according to the preferential voting system.
He maintained that the Congress supported voting through ballot papers and said the election results reflected the political choices of educated voters.
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Tags: #Educated graduates in Maharashtra have rejected BJP# sent message on protecting constitutional democracy: Congress leader
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