Rajya Sabha Elections: Rajya Sabha Elections Announced for 12 Seats, Voting on October 16
The Election Commission has scheduled polls for 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal with voting and counting set for October 16 2026 according to schedule.
Rajya Sabha Elections: The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for elections to 12 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Voting for all 12 seats will take place on October 16, with counting scheduled for the same day.
Of the 12 seats, 10 are from Uttar Pradesh and one is from Uttarakhand. These are biennial elections linked to the completion of members’ terms. The remaining seat is in West Bengal, where a bypoll will be held to fill a vacancy in the Upper House.
The election process will begin with the notification on September 29. Candidates can submit their nominations until October 6. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on October 7, while candidates will have until October 9 to withdraw their nominations.
Polling will be held from 9 am to 4 pm on October 16. Counting of votes will begin at 5 pm on the same day. The Election Commission has set October 19 as the deadline for completing the entire election process.
Several prominent members are among those whose terms are ending. In Uttar Pradesh, the seats include those held by members such as Arun Singh, Ram Gopal Yadav and Hardeep Singh Puri. The Uttarakhand seat is currently held by Naresh Bansal.
The West Bengal seat became vacant following the resignation of Rukmini Malik. The bypoll for this seat will be conducted along with the regular Rajya Sabha elections on October 16.
The Election Commission has also specified a rule concerning ballot papers. For marking preferences in the Rajya Sabha election, voters must use only the violet sketch pen supplied by the Returning Officer. Marks made with other pens will not be accepted, according to the announced guidelines.
The elections will determine the new members for the seats becoming vacant in the Upper House and fill the West Bengal vacancy. The announced schedule now sets out the key dates for candidates, political parties and election officials ahead of the October 16 polling day.
