Rajya Sabha Elections: Nomination Process Begins for 37 Seats, Voting on March 16

New Delhi, March 5: The nomination process for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections will commence on Thursday, with candidates contesting for 37 seats.

The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for these elections on February 18, aimed at filling the vacancies in 10 states. These seats are becoming vacant as the current members’ terms will end in April 2026.

According to the notified schedule, voting will take place on March 16 from 9 AM to 4 PM, with counting of votes occurring the same day at 5 PM. In light of the upcoming vacancies, the Election Commission has prepared a detailed timeline to ensure a smooth electoral process.

Nomination papers will be scrutinized on March 6, while the last date for withdrawing candidacies is set for March 9.

The Commission has clarified that only the designated purple sketch pen provided by the returning officer can be used to mark preferences on the ballot. The use of any other writing material is prohibited.

To ensure transparency and fairness, observers will be deployed to monitor the entire electoral process. The Commission has emphasized strict adherence to all election-related guidelines and stressed that the process will be completed within the stipulated timeframe to maintain the integrity of the Rajya Sabha elections.

The members whose terms are expiring represent Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana.

Meanwhile, political parties have ramped up their election preparations. The BJP has announced its candidates, including Nitin Naveen and Shivesh Kumar from Bihar, Terash Gowala and Jogen Mohan from Assam, Lakshmi Verma from Chhattisgarh, Sanjay Bhatia from Haryana, Manmohan Samal and Sujit Kumar from Odisha, and Rahul Sinha from West Bengal.

After extensive discussions, the Congress party announced on Wednesday its support for NCP-SP leader and former Union Minister Sharad Pawar in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

This decision was revealed by state Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal during a press conference attended by NCP-SP executive president Supriya Sule, Congress legislative party leader Vijay Wadettiwar, and MLA Satej Patil.

The BJP has also nominated its national general secretary and Bihar in-charge Vinod Tawde, marking his return to parliamentary politics since 2019.

Additionally, the party has re-nominated Ramdas Athawale, the national president of RPI and current Union Minister of State. Other nominees include tribal leader and former mayor of Nagpur Maya Chintaman Iwante and Ramrao Wadkute from the Dhangar community in Hingoli district.

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