Voting will be held on Monday for the biennial elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states, with counting scheduled later in the evening, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The elections are being conducted as the terms of sitting members from Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana come to an end in April. Their retirement has opened up seats in the Upper House that will now be filled through the electoral process.
Of the 37 seats up for grabs, 26 candidates have already been elected without a contest, which means voting on Monday will decide the fate of the remaining 11 seats. These include five seats in Bihar, four in Odisha, and two in Haryana, where the political contest between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Opposition parties is expected to draw the most attention
Polling will take place from 9 am to 4 pm, while counting of votes will begin at 5 pm the same day, the ECI said
While several candidates secured entry to the Upper House without facing a contest, the remaining seats have turned into important political battlegrounds.
So far, the BJP has secured seven seats unopposed, followed by Congress with five, Trinamool Congress with four, and DMK with three. One seat each has gone to Shiv Sena, AIADMK, PMK, RPI(A), NCP, NCP(SP), and UPPL.
Some well-known leaders have already secured a place in the Rajya Sabha without facing a contest. Among them are veteran leader Sharad Pawar, senior Congress voice Abhishek Manu Singhvi, DMK’s seasoned parliamentarian Tiruchi Siva, and BJP leader Vinod Tawade.
One of the major developments in these elections is the decision of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to move to the Rajya Sabha. Kumar, who has served as Bihar’s Chief Minister for more than two decades, filed his nomination in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders.
In a post on X, the 75-year-old leader said he intended to enter the Upper House while continuing his commitment to Bihar’s development. He also assured full cooperation to the new government that will be formed in the state.
Along with Kumar, other NDA nominees such as Upendra Kushwaha and BJP leader Nitin Nabin have also filed nominations for the Rajya Sabha.
With voting approaching, some political parties have also taken steps to keep their flock together. Amid fears of cross-voting and talk of possible horse-trading, a few parties, especially the Congress, have shifted their MLAs to resorts or locations outside their states to ensure their numbers remain intact until polling.
The Election Commission has put in place arrangements to ensure smooth polling. It has directed that legislators must use the integrated violet-coloured sketch pens provided by the Returning Officer to mark their preference on the ballot paper.
Observers will also be deployed to monitor the voting process.
Unlike the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha is a permanent chamber of Parliament and cannot be dissolved. Members serve a six-year term, with roughly one-third retiring every two years, which is why elections are conducted periodically to fill the vacancies and maintain continuity in the Upper House.
