Voting began on Monday morning for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections, with legislators casting ballots for 11 contested seats across Bihar, Odisha and Haryana. Polling began at 9 am and will continue till 4 pm, with counting set to start at 5 pm, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said.
The exercise is being held to fill 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states – Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana – as the terms of current members come to an end in April.
However, 26 candidates have already been elected unopposed, meaning voting on Monday will determine the outcome for the remaining 11 seats where contests are taking place.
The seats being decided through voting include five in Bihar, four in Odisha and two in Haryana, where the contest between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Opposition parties has drawn significant political attention.
Key contests emerge in Bihar, Haryana and Odisha
While many candidates entered the Rajya Sabha without facing a contest, the remaining seats have become important battlegrounds for rival parties.
So far, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has picked up the highest number of unopposed seats, winning seven. The Congress has got five, while the Trinamool Congress has secured four and the DMK three seats unopposed. One seat each has gone to Shiv Sena, AIADMK, PMK, RPI(A), NCP, NCP(SP) and UPPL.
Among prominent leaders who have already secured entry to the Upper House without a contest are Sharad Pawar, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, and BJP leader Vinod Tawade.
A major development in these elections is the decision of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to move to the Rajya Sabha. Kumar, who has led Bihar for more than two decades, filed his nomination in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders.
In a post on X, the 75-year-old leader said he plans to enter the Upper House while continuing to work for Bihar’s development and pledged cooperation with the government that will be formed in the state.
Along with Kumar, other NDA nominees, including Upendra Kushwaha and BJP leader Nitin Nabin, have also filed nominations for the Rajya Sabha.
Parties move MLAs amid cross-voting concerns
As voting approached, some political parties took steps to ensure their legislators remain together amid concerns about cross-voting and possible horse-trading.
The Congress, among others, moved several MLAs to resorts or locations outside their states to keep their numbers intact until polling.
The Election Commission has said arrangements have been made to ensure smooth polling. Legislators have been instructed to use the integrated violet-coloured sketch pens provided by the Returning Officer to mark their preference on the ballot paper.
Observers have also been deployed to monitor the process.
Unlike the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha is a permanent chamber of Parliament and cannot be dissolved. Members serve six-year terms, with about one-third retiring every two years, which necessitates periodic elections to maintain the strength of the Upper House.