New Delhi, September 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced October 16 as the date for biennial elections to 11 Rajya Sabha seats, along with a by-election for one vacant seat from West Bengal.
The biennial elections will cover 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh and one in Uttarakhand, while the West Bengal poll will be held to fill a casual vacancy in the Upper House.
According to the schedule announced by the ECI, notifications for the elections will be issued on September 29. The last date for filing nominations is October 6, followed by scrutiny on October 7.
Candidates can withdraw their nominations until October 9.
Polling will take place on October 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with counting scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on the same day.
In Uttar Pradesh, the terms of 10 sitting Rajya Sabha members are set to expire. The members listed for retirement include Arun Singh, Geeta alias Chandraprabha, Brij Lal, Ram Gopal Yadav, Ramji Gautam, B.L. Verma, Seema Dwivedi, Dinesh Sharma and Hardeep Singh Puri.
The Uttarakhand election is necessitated by the completion of the term of sitting Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal.
In West Bengal, the by-election is being held following the resignation of Rukmini Mallick from the Rajya Sabha.
The October 16 exercise will therefore cover both scheduled biennial retirements and a casual vacancy in the Upper House. The ECI has issued a detailed schedule covering notification, nominations, scrutiny, withdrawal, polling and counting.
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