The Election Commission has declared that elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats in 10 states will be held on March 16. These biennial elections are necessitated by the upcoming retirement of several prominent parliamentarians in April 2026. Maharashtra holds the highest number of vacancies with 7 seats, followed by Tamil Nadu with 6. West Bengal and Bihar each have 5 seats up for grabs, while Odisha has 4. Other participating states include Assam (3), Chhattisgarh (2), Haryana (2), Telangana (2), and Himachal Pradesh (1). To maintain the integrity of the voting process, the ECI has mandated the use of specific purple sketch pens provided by the returning officers for marking ballots.
