The BJP topped the overall tally, but the Samajwadi Party’s wins in particular in Lucknow and Varanasi could open up possibilities in the 2027 state polls. The UP MLC results give Akhilesh Yadav’s party a boost ahead of 2027, but do the defeats point to a wider political shift? The setback for the BJP is particularly huge since Varanasi is represented in the Lok Sabha by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.