{
  "id": 17043695,
  "title": "Maharashtra MLC Election Results 2026: Nitesh Rane Claims Congress Candidate In Nagpur Won Due To Second-Preference Votes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/maharashtra-mlc-election-results-2026-nitesh-rane-claims-congress",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-29T10:06:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/maharashtra-mlc-election-results-2026-nitesh-rane-claims-congress-candidate-in-nagpur-won-due-to-second-preference-votes"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane attributed the Congress victory in the Nagpur MLC election to the second-preference votes, rather than the efforts of party leader Rahul Gandhi. He stated that while the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, Sudhakar Kohale, led in the first-preference votes, the Congress candidate, Abhijit Wanjarri, ultimately secured the seat through second-preference votes. Rane criticized the Congress for their celebration, asserting that the win was due to the second-preference votes for an independent candidate, not Rahul Gandhi's presence or theatrics. Wanjarri, the Congress candidate, credited the BJP's strong efforts and the unity of opposition organizations for the BJP's second-place finish. He noted that despite the BJP's presence in Nagpur, the voters sided with his campaign, which received support from numerous organizations. The election took place on October 23, with counting commencing on October 27. Five Legislative Council seats were contested across three Graduates constituencies and two Teachers constituencies.",
  "summary": "Mumbai: Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane on Thursday reacted to the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) results, stating that Congress won the Nagpur seat because of the second-preference votes and not because of party leader Rahul Gandhi. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Rane said, “The Nagpur seat was won on second-preference votes. On the first-preference votes, our Bharatiya Janata Party…",
  "key_points": [
    "Nitesh Rane claims Congress won Nagpur MLC due to second-preference votes.",
    "BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale led in first-preference votes.",
    "Election held on October 23, counting began October 27."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}