Rajya Sabha Elections 2026: Voting Scheduled For 37 Seats Across 10 States On March 16

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has confirmed the schedule for the upcoming biennial elections to fill 37 seats in the Rajya Sabha that will fall vacant across 10 states in April 2026.

Polling will be held on March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to fill vacancies in Maharashtra (7 seats), Odisha (4 seats), Tamil Nadu (6 seats), West Bengal (5 seats), Assam (3 seats), Bihar (5 seats), Chhattisgarh (2 seats), Haryana (2 seats), Himachal Pradesh (1 seats), and Telangana (2 seats).

As per the EC schedule, the election notification was issued on February 26. The last date for filing nominations was March 5, while the scrutiny of nomination papers took place on March 6. Candidates were allowed to withdraw their nominations until March 9. The counting of votes will be conducted on March 16 at 5:00 p.m., and the entire election process is expected to be completed by March 20.

To ensure uniformity in voting, the Commission has specified that only integrated violet-coloured sketch pens of predetermined specifications, supplied by the Returning Officer, will be permitted for marking preferences on ballot papers. No other writing instruments will be allowed. In addition, observers will be deployed to closely monitor the polling process and ensure transparency and fairness.

The Rajya Sabha members whose terms are ending include Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Dr. Fauzia Tahseen Ahmed Khan, Priyanka Vickram Chaturvedi, Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar, Dhairyashil Mohan Patil, Rajani Ashokrao Patil and Ramdas Bandu Athawale from Maharashtra; Mamata Mohanta, Muzibulla Khan, Sujeet Kumar and Niranjan Bishi from Odisha; N.R. Elango, P. Selvarasu, M. Thambidurai, Tiruchi Siva, Dr. Kanimozhi NVN Somu and G.K. Vasan from Tamil Nadu; Saket Gokhale, Ritabrata Banerjee, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, Mausam Noor and Subrata Bakshi from West Bengal; Rameswar Teli, Bhubaneswar Kalita and Ajit Kumar Bhuyan from Assam; Amarendra Dhari Singh, Prem Chand Gupta, Ramnath Thakur, Upendra Kushwaha and Haribansh Narayan Singh from Bihar; Kavi Tejpal Singh Tulsi and Phulo Devi Netam from Chhattisgarh; Kiran Choudhry and Ram Chander Jangra from Haryana; Indu Bala Goswami from Himachal Pradesh; and Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi and K.R. Suresh Reddy from Telangana. Additionally, one seat in West Bengal has been vacant since January 5, 2026.

Members of the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by elected Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) through a system of proportional representation using the single transferable vote method. The Rajya Sabha elections are considered important for democracy as it holds several special constitutional powers. For instance, if it passes a resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of members present and voting, declaring that it is "necessary or expedient in the national interest" for Parliament to legislate on a matter listed in the State List, Parliament is empowered to make laws on that subject.