Election Commission announces Rajya Sabha poll schedule for 37 seats

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday unveiled the timetable for biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha, with 37 seats across 10 states set to fall vacant in April 2026.

Polling will take place on 16 March between 9am and 4pm, with counting scheduled for 5pm the same day, the Commission said.

The formal notification for the elections will be issued on 26 February. Candidates may file their nominations until 5 March, while scrutiny of papers will be carried out on 6 March. The final date for withdrawal of candidature has been fixed as 9 March.

The seats becoming vacant are from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana.

Among the members whose terms are due to conclude are Upendra Kushwaha, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Tiruchi Siva, Saket Gokhale, Ramdas Athawale, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar, Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Mamata Mohanta, Rameswar Teli, Indu Bala Goswami, Kavi Tejpal Singh Tulsi, N R Elango, Amarendra Dhari Singh and Kiran Choudhry.

The Commission specified that only integrated violet sketch pens of approved design, to be supplied by the Returning Officer, will be permitted for marking preferences on ballot papers. No other writing instruments will be allowed.

Observers will be deployed to supervise the process to ensure transparency and adherence to established norms. The ECI said the entire exercise would be conducted within the stipulated timeframe, underscoring the need for strict compliance with electoral guidelines to preserve the integrity of the upper house polls.

With IANS inputs