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10 Seats, High Stakes: Rajya Sabha Election Countdown Begins in UP
New Delhi: The political temperature is set to rise as the Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, with 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, one seat in Uttarakhand and a separate by-election for one seat in West Bengal scheduled for October 16, 2026. The contest comes at a politically significant time, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due next year and the Rajya Sabha polls will draw attention because of the numbers and party representation involved.
In Uttar Pradesh, eight of the 10 seats are currently held by the BJP, while one each is held by the Samajwadi Party and BSP; the terms of nine sitting members are ending on November 25, while one UP seat became vacant after former BJP MP Dinesh Sharma resigned following his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Among the members whose terms are ending are Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, BJP leaders Arun Singh, Geeta Shakya, Neeraj Shekhar, Brij Lal, B.L. Verma and Seema Dwivedi, along with SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BSP’s Ramji Gautam. In Uttarakhand, BJP MP Naresh Bansal’s term is also ending on November 25. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Rajya Sabha seat will go to a by-election following the resignation of TMC MP Rukmini Mallik.
According to the announced schedule, notifications will be issued on September 29, nominations can be filed until October 6, scrutiny will take place on October 7, and candidates can withdraw until October 9. Polling will be held on October 16 from 9 AM to 4 PM, with counting scheduled to begin at 5 PM the same day, subject to the completion of the process within the stipulated period.
The Election Commission has also announced elections for 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. These include 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, eight in Bihar, five in Maharashtra and four in Karnataka, with polling scheduled for October 23 and counting on October 27. With the Rajya Sabha polls and Legislative Council elections now on the calendar, political parties in the concerned states will turn their attention to candidate selection, numbers and electoral strategy as the October contests draw closer.
