School leave today: UP districts shut schools for teachers', graduates' MLC polls

School leave today, Friday 23 October 2026, has been declared in several Uttar Pradesh districts, including Ghaziabad and Lucknow, because teachers and graduates are voting to elect members of the state's Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad). Polling is being held for 11 council seats, five from graduates' constituencies and six from teachers' constituencies, from 8 am to 4 pm in 72 districts. About 14.81 lakh registered voters are eligible and 152 candidates are in the contest. Votes will be counted on 27 October.

Most people never vote in a Legislative Council election, so the sudden school holiday surprises many parents. Uttar Pradesh is one of the few states with a two-house legislature. Most members of the upper house, the Vidhan Parishad, are chosen indirectly, by elected legislators or local bodies. A small number are elected directly by two special groups: graduates and teachers. That is why only a section of adults can vote in today's poll.

To vote in a graduates' constituency, a person must be a graduate of a recognised university, with the degree held for at least three years, and must be enrolled on the special electoral roll for that seat. A teachers' constituency is open only to teachers who have worked in schools of at least secondary level, or in colleges and universities, for a minimum of three years out of the past six. Teachers' members are therefore expected to speak in the council for the teaching community: on salaries, pensions, recruitment, transfers and the conditions in aided and private schools and colleges.

The closures follow from this. Every voter in the teachers' seats is a school or college teacher, and school buildings are often used as polling stations in Indian elections. Closing institutions for the day lets teacher-voters leave their classes to vote. District administrations issued the orders separately, which is why the rules differ from one district to the next. In some districts schools and colleges are closed outright; elsewhere, eligible employees and teachers have been given special casual leave to vote. Parents should check the order of their own district or ask their school.

Liquor shops are also shut in the polling areas, as is usual during elections. Results from 27 October will show how the parties have fared among teachers and graduates, two groups that political parties court closely. The process is due to be completed by 31 October, well before the present members' term ends on 6 December.

Short-term: Students in Ghaziabad and other districts that issued orders get an unplanned day off. Schools may need to adjust test or project schedules planned for the day. Teachers on the special voter rolls get time to vote, and buildings used as booths reopen as normal on the next working day.

Long-term: The six teachers' members elected this year will represent the teaching community in the Legislative Council for six years. Their work there on salaries, recruitment, pensions and conditions in secondary schools and colleges can affect lakhs of teachers and, through them, the students they teach.

Who is affected: School and college students and their parents in districts that ordered closures; secondary school, college and university teachers; graduates enrolled on the voter rolls; and school managements whose buildings are being used for polling.

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