The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for elections to 11 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, along with a by-election for one Rajya Sabha seat in West Bengal.
The polling for all 12 seats will be held on October 16, 2026. The elections will cover 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, one seat in Uttarakhand and one vacant seat in West Bengal.
The terms of the 10 Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh and one member from Uttarakhand are ending in November. The West Bengal election is a bypoll to fill a seat that became vacant after the resignation of Rukmini Mallick.
Rajya Sabha Election 2026 Full Schedule
According to the Election Commission, the election process will begin with the issue of notification on September 29.
The important dates are:
- Issue of notification: September 29, 2026
- Last date for filing nominations: October 6
- Scrutiny of nominations: October 7
- Last date for withdrawal: October 9
- Polling: October 16, from 9 am to 4 pm
- Counting of votes: October 16, from 5 pm
- Completion of election process: October 19
Rajya Sabha elections are conducted through the elected members of the respective state Legislative Assemblies rather than through direct voting by the general public.
10 Rajya Sabha Seats Up For Election In Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh will see the biggest contest in this round, with 10 Rajya Sabha seats becoming vacant as the terms of the current members end on November 25.
The members whose terms are ending include eight from the BJP, one from the Samajwadi Party and one from the Bahujan Samaj Party.
The retiring BJP members are Dinesh Sharma, Hardeep Singh Puri, Arun Singh, Banwari Lal Verma, Brij Lal, Neeraj Shekhar, Seema Dwivedi and Geeta Shakya.
Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Ramji Gautam are the other two members whose terms are ending.
The new members elected from these seats will serve fresh six-year terms, subject to the usual Rajya Sabha rules.
Uttarakhand Has One Seat In The Election
Uttarakhand will have an election for one Rajya Sabha seat.
The term of BJP MP Naresh Bansal is scheduled to end on November 25, 2026. His seat will therefore be filled through the upcoming election.
The strength of political parties in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly will be an important factor because Rajya Sabha members are elected by MLAs.
West Bengal Rajya Sabha Seat To Be Filled Through Bypoll
West Bengal will also vote for one Rajya Sabha seat, but this will be a by-election rather than a regular biennial election.
The seat became vacant after Rukmini Mallick resigned from the Rajya Sabha on July 16, 2026. Her original term was scheduled to continue until April 2, 2032.
The by-election will now be held alongside the regular Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Why The Uttar Pradesh Election Is Important
The 10 Uttar Pradesh seats are expected to attract considerable political attention because of the strength of different parties in the state Assembly.
In a Rajya Sabha election, voters are elected MLAs rather than members of the public. The number of Assembly seats held by each political party therefore plays an important role in determining how many candidates it can elect.
The current Assembly numbers give the BJP and its political allies a substantial position in the electoral college, while the Samajwadi Party also has enough representation to contest and seek Rajya Sabha seats.
The final number of seats won by each party, however, will depend on the candidates nominated, the number of candidates in the contest and the voting process.
BSP Faces Loss Of Its Rajya Sabha Presence In UP
The election is also significant for the Bahujan Samaj Party because Ramji Gautam’s term is ending.
The BSP does not currently have members in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. As a result, the party faces difficulty in securing another Rajya Sabha seat from the state under the present Assembly numbers.
The outcome will determine the party’s representation in the Upper House from Uttar Pradesh after the current term ends.
How Rajya Sabha Voting Works
Unlike Lok Sabha elections, Rajya Sabha members are not directly elected by voters.
Members of the state Legislative Assembly vote in the election using proportional representation through the single transferable vote system.
This means that the composition of the state Assembly is a key factor in determining the strength of different parties during the Rajya Sabha election.
Candidates can also face a contest if more candidates are in the field than the number of available seats.
Polling And Counting On Same Day
The Election Commission has scheduled voting for October 16 between 9 am and 4 pm.
Counting will begin at 5 pm on the same day.
The entire election process for these seats is scheduled to be completed by October 19.
With 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, one in Uttarakhand and one West Bengal bypoll, the October 16 election will be an important round of Rajya Sabha elections involving three states.
