Rajya Sabha elections on 16 March
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant across 10 states will be held on 16 March.
Among the states going to polls, Maharashtra will see elections for seven seats, while West Bengal and Bihar will each have five seats up for election.
Six seats will be contested in Tamil Nadu, three in Assam, and two each in Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Telangana. Additionally, one seat in Himachal Pradesh will also go to polls.
The announcement sets the stage for key political contests in several states, with parties preparing to secure their strength in the Upper House of Parliament.
How many seats in which state, which MPs' terms are ending?
These seats are becoming vacant in the Rajya Sabha in Maharashtra (seven seats), Odisha (four seats), Telangana (two seats), Tamil Nadu (six seats), Chhattisgarh (two seats), West Bengal (five seats), Assam (three seats), Haryana (two seats), Himachal Pradesh (one seat), and Bihar (five seats).
The MPs whose terms are ending include Sharad Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar), Abhishek Singhvi (Congress), Harivansh Narayan Singh (JDU, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman), Saket Gokhale (Trinamool Congress), Ramdas Athawale (Republican Party of India - Athawale), M. Thambidurai (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and Tiruchi Siva (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), and Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena Uddhav faction).
BJP's strength in the Rajya Sabha will increase. After elections for the 72 vacant seats this year, the BJP's position in the Rajya Sabha will strengthen, while the position of the main opposition party, the Congress, will weaken further. Looking at the situation in different states, the difficulties for the Congress and its allies will increase.
After elections for all seats, the Rajya Sabha arithmetic will not change significantly, but the BJP's position will strengthen. Currently, the BJP has 103 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, while the NDA has 126. The tenure of 30 BJP MPs will end, and the arrival of 32 MPs is certain. Depending on the horse-trading and party dynamics, the BJP could win an additional 3 to 4 seats.
