Elections to the Legislative Councils (MLCs) are quite unlike elections to the Lok Sabha or State Assemblies. The results cannot be treated as a reliable reflection of the public mood in the states where they are held. Yet they can offer political parties useful clues about their standing among particular sections of voters.

India has only six states with bicameral legislatures, where an elected Assembly functions alongside a Legislative Council. Tamil Nadu and several other states have abolished their Upper Houses, considering them expensive and of limited practical value.

In the latest round, 28 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka were contested. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 16 seats, with the BJP emerging as its biggest winner. But any attempt to........

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