Polling on March 16 for Seven Vacant Rajya Sabha Seats from Maharashtra

New Delhi, February 2026 : The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for the biennial elections to fill 37 vacancies in the Rajya Sabha, including seven seats from Maharashtra. Voting for these vacancies will be held on March 16, 2026.

Along with Maharashtra, the elections will cover vacancies from Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana.

The terms of seven Rajya Sabha members from Maharashtra—Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Fauzia Tahseen Ahmed Khan, Priyanka Vikram Chaturvedi, Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar, Dhairyasheel Mohan Patil, Rajni Ashokrao Patil, and Ramdas Athawale—will end on April 2.

The notification for the election will be issued on February 26, 2026. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, 2026, with scrutiny scheduled for March 6. Candidates may withdraw their nominations up to March 9. Polling will take place on March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and counting of votes will be conducted the same day at 5:00 p.m., after which the results will be declared.

The Commission has clarified that only the special violet sketch pen provided by election officials must be used for voting. It has also directed that the entire election process be completed by March 20, 2026.