Election Commission of India Schedules March 16 Polls for 37 Rajya Sabha Seats Across 10 States

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states will be held on March 16, as the terms of the sitting members are set to expire in April 2026.

In a press note, the Commission said the election process will commence with the issuance of notifications on February 26. The last date for filing nominations has been fixed as March 5, with scrutiny scheduled for March 6. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until March 9.

Polling will take place on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, while the counting of votes will begin at 5 pm on the same day.

The seats falling vacant are from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana. The ECI said election observers will be deployed and detailed ballot-marking procedures enforced to ensure the conduct of free and fair polls.