Rajya Sabha elections: Polling will take place on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, and counting of votes will be held at 5 pm the same day.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday announced biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha for 37 seats across 10 states, with polling scheduled for March 16 and counting to be held the same evening.
The vacancies are spread across Maharashtra (7), Odisha (4), Tamil Nadu (6), West Bengal (5), Assam (3), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (2), Haryana (2), Himachal Pradesh (1) and Telangana (2). These seats will fall vacant in April 2026.
Among the prominent members set to retire are Sharad Pawar, Union minister Ramdas Athawale, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Saket Gokhale, and Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh.
The seats were last contested in the 2020 biennial elections. At that time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies secured a dominant share in states such as Assam, Bihar, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. In Maharashtra, the seats were shared among the BJP, the undivided Shiv Sena, the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress. In Tamil Nadu, the DMK-led alliance won a majority of the seats, while the TMC retained its dominance in West Bengal and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) secured seats in Odisha.
According to the schedule released by the ECI, notifications for the elections will be issued on February 26. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, scrutiny of nominations will be conducted on March 6, and candidates may withdraw their nominations until March 9. Polling will take place from 9am to 4pm on March 16, followed by counting from 5pm. The election process will be completed by March 20.
The poll body also issued instructions regarding voting procedure, directing that only integrated violet sketch pens supplied by the Returning Officer be used to mark preferences on ballot papers.
“Only integrated violet colour sketch pen(s) of pre-fixed specification provided by the Returning Officer shall be used for marking preferences. No other pen shall be used,” the ECI said, adding that observers would be appointed to ensure the elections are conducted in a free and fair manner.
The outcome of the March polls will depend on the current numerical strength of political parties in the respective state Assemblies and could result in marginal changes in the composition of the Upper House.
