Dehradun: The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for the biennial Rajya Sabha elections for one seat from Uttarakhand and 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh. Polling for the 11 seats will be held on October 16, 2026, with the Uttarakhand seat becoming vacant after the completion of sitting MP Naresh Bansal’s term.
Bansal’s term in the Rajya Sabha is scheduled to end on November 25, 2026. The Election Commission has fixed September 29 as the date for issuing the notification and beginning the formal election process for the Uttarakhand seat.
Candidates will be able to file their nominations until October 6. The scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on October 7, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until October 9.
According to the announced schedule, polling will take place on October 16 from 9 am to 4 pm. Counting of votes will begin at 5 pm on the same day. The elections are biennial elections to fill seats whose sitting members are completing their terms.
Uttarakhand has three Rajya Sabha seats. Apart from Bansal, the state’s current members are Kalpana Saini and Mahendra Bhatt, whose terms extend beyond the upcoming election.
10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh also up for election
Along with Uttarakhand, the Election Commission has announced biennial elections for 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh. The polling for all 11 biennial-election seats in the two states will take place on the same day.
The Commission has also announced a separate by-election for one vacant Rajya Sabha seat in West Bengal. The West Bengal seat became vacant following the resignation of Trinamool Congress MP Rukmini Mallik, according to reports on the Commission’s announcement.
Thus, October 16 will see polling for the 11 Rajya Sabha seats covered by the biennial elections, along with the separately scheduled West Bengal by-election. The formal process for Uttarakhand will begin with the notification on September 29.
