Gorakhpur-Faizabad MLC Result 2026 Live: BJP's Dhruv Tripathi Leads With 3,813 Votes, Independent Rajeev Yadav Close Behind at 3,703, SP Third; 920 Votes Invalid

The Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' constituency — the Council seat that covers Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's home city — has turned into the tightest contest of Uttar Pradesh's MLC counting day. After the first round at the DDU Gorakhpur University counting centre, sitting MLC Dhruv Kumar Tripathi of the BJP had 3,813 votes, just 110 ahead of independent Rajeev Yadav on 3,703. The Samajwadi Party's Dr Sanjayan Tripathi, who had confidently predicted victory in the morning, was third with 2,744.

Gorakhpur-Faizabad MLC result 2026: round 1 votes

Why this seat will almost certainly go to preference transfers

To win, a candidate needs the quota — half of all valid votes plus one. After round 1, the leader has only about 29% of valid votes. Unless the remaining two rounds look very different, nobody will reach the quota on first preferences. The Returning Officer will then eliminate the lowest candidates one by one and transfer their ballots to the next preference marked on each.

That makes the voters of Ajit Kumar Singh (1,462 in round 1) and Ajay Singh (752) the kingmakers: where their second and third preferences go could decide whether the seat goes to the BJP, stays with an independent teacher candidate, or swings to the SP. With turnout of about 79% among the seat's 54,910 teacher electors, roughly 43,000 ballots will be counted in all. Our explainer shows how transfers work: How UP MLC votes are counted.

Counting day timeline

• Morning: SP's Dr Sanjayan Tripathi says he is confident of winning, citing turnout 9–10 points higher than last time and his campaign for the old pension scheme and honorarium for teachers in unaided institutions.
• Around 1 pm: A ballot box from the Banakata area of Deoria is found with a broken seal. Independent Ajay Singh complains to the Election Commission and the box is set aside at the Returning Officer's table; Singh says it may have been human error.
• Around 2 pm: A box from Mau (booth 115) is found to contain 675 ballots against 623 recorded when it was sealed — 52 extra — and officials begin re-tallying it.
• 5:35 pm: Early trends show independent Rajeev Yadav ahead.
• 6:04 pm: Other reports show the SP's Sanjayan Tripathi ahead in early trends.
• 7:12 pm: Agents of the BJP and of Rajeev Yadav argue during round 1; police separate them and counting resumes peacefully.
• 8:16 pm: Round 1 complete — BJP's Dhruv Tripathi 3,813, Rajeev Yadav 3,703, SP's Sanjayan Tripathi 2,744; 920 invalid. Two rounds remain.

Who the main candidates are

• Dhruv Kumar Tripathi (BJP) — the sitting MLC, who won this seat in 2020 as an independent teachers' candidate and is now contesting as the BJP nominee.
• Rajeev Yadav (Independent) — the surprise of the count so far, running neck and neck with the BJP after round 1.
• Dr Sanjayan Tripathi (SP) — contesting for the Samajwadi Party on pensions and pay for teachers in unaided schools.

Why the 920 invalid votes matter

Almost one in 15 ballots in round 1 was rejected — more than eight times the BJP's lead. Ballots are rejected if the figure "1" is missing or marked against more than one candidate, if preferences are written in words or ticks, if the voter used a pen other than the one provided, or if there is any identifying mark. In a contest this close, disputes over doubtful ballots and recount requests are likely before the Returning Officer declares a winner. Voters can avoid these mistakes next time — see how to mark a preference ballot.

What it means

A BJP win in Gorakhpur-Faizabad would be a relief for the party in the Chief Minister's backyard, but an independent teachers' candidate running it this close — and the SP in third place despite a 79% turnout it had counted on — suggests teachers here voted on service issues rather than party lines. Follow every seat on our UP MLC result scoreboard.