Rajya Sabha elections announced in 10 states, there will be competition on 37 seats, votes will be cast on this date
Rajya Sabha Election 2026: The Election Commission of India has announced biennial Rajya Sabha elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in 10 states. In these elections, voting will be held on the vacant seats of Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar. The Commission said that the date of voting has been fixed as March 16, 2026 and the counting of votes will be done on the same day. These seats are becoming vacant on different dates in the month of April.
The Election Commission of India has announced biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill 37 seats from 10 states, with polling scheduled for 16 March 2026. The election process will begin with the issue of notifications on 26 February 2026, and counting of… pic.twitter.com/4rmAPlu4Zi
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 18, 2026
Importance and procedure of Rajya Sabha
The tenure of the Rajya Sabha is six years, but every two years one-third of its members vacate their seats and biennial elections are held for them. This process ensures that the Rajya Sabha is always functioning. Like the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha can never be dissolved, hence it is called the “permanent house”. The Rajya Sabha consists of representatives from various states and union territories, who are elected through state governments. This type of election system helps in maintaining stability and continuous representation in the Parliament.
How many seats are vacant in which state/who are retiring:
| State | seats becoming vacant | retiring members |
|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra | 7 | Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Dr. Fauzia Tehseen Ahmed Khan, Priyanka Vikram Chaturvedi, Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar (Sharad Pawar), Dhairyasheel Mohan Patil, Rajni Ashokrao Patil, Ramdas Bandu Athawale. |
| Odisha | 4 | Mamta Mohanta, Mujibulla Khan, Sujit Kumar, Niranjan Bishi |
| Tamil Nadu | 6 | N.R. Elango, P. Selvarasu, M. Thambidurai, Tiruchi Siva, Dr. Kanimozhi N.V.N. Somu, G.K. Vasan |
| west bengal | 5 | Saket Gokhale, Ritabrata Banerjee, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Mausam Noor, Subrata Bakshi |
| Assam | 3 | Rameshwar Teli, Bhuvaneshwar Kalita, Ajit Kumar Bhuiyan |
| Bihar | 5 | Amarendra Dhari Singh, Prem Chand Gupta, Ramnath Thakur, Upendra Kushwaha, Harivansh Narayan Singh |
| Chhattisgarh | 2 | Poet Tejpal Singh Tulsi, Phulo Devi Netam |
| Haryana | 2 | Kiran Chaudhary, Ram Chander Jangra |
| Himachal Pradesh | 1 | Indu Bala Goswami |
| Telangana | 2 | Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, K.R. Suresh Reddy |
When and how will the elections be held
- Date of release of notification: 26 February 2026
- Last date for filing nomination papers: 5 March 2026
- Scrutiny of nomination papers: 6 March 2026
- Last date for withdrawal of name: 9 March 2026
- Voting date: 16 March 2026 (9:00 AM to 4:00 PM)
- Counting: 16th March 2026, 5:00 PM onwards
- Last date to complete the election process: 20 March 2026
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