The official press note issued on February 18, 2026, stated that the terms of 37 members elected from 10 states will conclude in April. To fill these vacancies, the ECI has decided to conduct biennial elections in accordance with the established electoral process.
As per the notified schedule, the election notification will be issued on February 26, 2026. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, and scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on March 6. Candidates may withdraw their nominations until March 9.
Only elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies can vote in a Rajya Sabha election. Legislators send a batch of new members to the Upper House every two years, each serving a six-year term. A third of Members of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (which is a permanent House and is not subject to dissolution), from each State retire once in two years and polls are held to fill up the vacancies.
Voting is conducted using the single transferable vote, with the election held on a proportional representation basis.
Candidates fielded by political parties have to be proposed by at least 10 members of the Assembly or 10% of the party’s strength in the House, whichever is less. For independents, there should be 10 proposers, all of whom should be members of the Assembly.
