Rajya Sabha Elections 2026: Polling on October 16 for 12 Seats
Rajya Sabha elections for 12 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal will be held on October 16, with nominations beginning on September 29.
The Election Commission has scheduled Rajya Sabha elections for October 16 to fill 12 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. The contest covers 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, one in Uttarakhand and a bypoll for a vacant seat in West Bengal.
The election process will begin with notifications on September 29, while October 6 is the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny will take place on October 7, withdrawals will be allowed until October 9, and polling and counting are scheduled for October 16. The process is to be completed by October 19.
In Uttar Pradesh, eight of the 10 seats currently belong to the BJP, while the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party hold one each. The vacancies include seats whose terms end on November 25 and the seat vacated by Dinesh Sharma after his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Uttarakhand seat is currently held by BJP's Naresh Bansal.
The West Bengal election is a bypoll for the seat vacated by Rukmini Mallick’s resignation and will determine the remaining term of that Rajya Sabha seat.
The Uttar Pradesh polls are particularly significant ahead of next year’s Assembly election, with the state’s 31 Rajya Sabha seats making it the largest contributor among the three states. The results will alter the composition of the Upper House across the affected seats.
