Why Legislative Council (MLC) Elections Still Use Paper Ballots: STV Explained
Elections were held on 23 October 2026 to 28 seats of State Legislative Councils (MLC seats) in four states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Counting began on 27 October 2026.
These seats were in Graduates' constituencies and Teachers' constituencies, where only registered graduates or teachers of the region can vote.
Voting was done with paper ballots, not Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). This has led to public debate about why paper is still used.
The reason is the voting method. MLC elections use proportional representation by the single transferable vote (STV). Voters rank candidates (1, 2, 3 and so on) instead of choosing just one.
EVMs in India are built for first-past-the-post elections, where each voter presses one button for one candidate. So they cannot record a list of ranked preferences.
Single Transferable Vote (STV) System
The single transferable vote (STV) is a way of voting in which you do not pick just one candidate. Instead, you rank the candidates in order of your choice: 1 for your first choice, 2 for your second, and so on. If your first choice does not need your vote (because they have already won, or because they have no chance), your vote moves to your next choice. That is why it is called "transferable". Your single vote keeps working until it helps someone get elected.
The 28 MLC seats elected on 23 October 2026 were filled through STV, where voters rank candidates. Because India's EVMs can only record one choice per voter, these elections had to use paper ballots and violet pens. This is a design feature written into Article 171(4) of the Constitution, not a choice made for this one election.
State Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad)
A State Legislative Council, or Vidhan Parishad, is the upper house of a state legislature. Most states have only one house, the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha). A few states also have a Council, which makes their legislature bicameral (two houses). Members of the Council are called MLCs. Most of them are elected indirectly, and some are nominated by the Governor.
The 23 October 2026 polls filled the graduates' and teachers' seats that Article 171(3) sets aside in the Councils of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Because Article 171(4) requires these seats to be filled by the single transferable vote, the elections used paper ballots. The poll is a reminder that only six states have a Council, and that its members are chosen in a very different way from MLAs.
- MLC elections on 23 October 2026: 28 seats in 4 states (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka); counting from 27 October 2026
- Uttar Pradesh: 11 seats (5 graduates', 6 teachers'); Bihar: 8 seats (4 graduates', 4 teachers'); Maharashtra: 5 seats
- Voting method: proportional representation by single transferable vote (Article 171(4)); paper ballots with ECI violet sketch pen
- EVMs record one choice per voter (first-past-the-post), so they cannot be used for ranked voting
- STV also used for President (Art 55(3)), Vice-President (Art 66(1)) and Rajya Sabha (Art 80(4))
- Six states with Legislative Councils; total strength 426 seats
- MLC: minimum age 30, term 6 years, one-third retire every 2 years