What is the news?
Political activity has intensified for the Rajya Sabha elections to be held on 37 seats in 10 states of the country on March 16. Although many stalwarts including Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are certain to be elected unopposed, yet all the political parties are busy preparing for it. The Election Commission has released the voting schedule on 26th February. The tenure of the current members on these seats is ending in April 2026.
Program
What is the schedule of election of Rajya Sabha members?
According to the Election Commission, elections are to be held on 37 Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The last date for nomination on these seats has been fixed as March 5 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations has been fixed as March 9. If there is more than one candidate, voting will be held from 9 am to 4 pm on March 16. After that, the results will be declared after counting the votes from 5 pm onwards.
Nitish and Nitin Nabin are certain to be elected unopposed in Bihar.
Due to pre-determined equations between political parties in many states, there are chances of many candidates reaching Rajya Sabha unopposed. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has a strong hold on 4 out of 5 seats in Bihar. Chief Minister and Jatna Dal United (JDU) convenor Nitish Kumar and BJP national president Nitin Nabin are already in the party’s primary list. However, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) made the contest interesting by fielding AD Singh on the 5th seat.
What will be the situation in Maharashtra and Assam?
Elections are to be held on a total of 7 seats in Maharashtra, but from here too many big names are seen reaching Rajya Sabha unopposed. The return of stalwarts like Sharad Pawar in Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP), Ramdas Athawale of Republican Party of India (Athawale) and Vinod Tawde of BJP is considered certain. NDA has a clear lead on 3 seats in Assam. The path is considered clear for Jogen Mohan, Terash Gowala and Pramod Boro to be elected unopposed.
8 candidates expected to be elected unopposed in Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh
Due to the equations between the ruling DMK, AIADMK and other parties in Tamil Nadu, there is every possibility of 6 candidates being elected unopposed. Tiruchi Siva (DMK) and M Thambidurai (AIADMK) are prominent among them. Similarly, in Chhattisgarh, Congress and BJP have fielded their candidates on one seat each. Congress has made Phulo Devi Netam and BJP has made Lakshmi Verma its candidate. In the absence of other candidates, both are likely to be elected unopposed.
Who is heavier in West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh?
Elections are to be held on 5 seats of West Bengal. There are talks of Trinamool Congress (TMC) names like Babul Supriyo and Koel Mallik being elected unopposed, but Mamata Banerjee has not revealed her full cards till the end. There is only one seat in Himachal Pradesh, on which Congress has a clear majority. The party has made Abhishek Manu Singhvi its candidate. This is the reason why there is no movement in Himachal regarding Rajya Sabha elections.
Division between Congress and BRS in Telangana
Elections are to be held on 2 Rajya Sabha seats in Telangana, but here too, candidates are likely to be elected unopposed on both the seats. Actually, one seat each has been divided between Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS).
Competition on total 6 seats in Odisha and Haryana
The contest for 4 Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha has become triangular. Congress has supported Biju Janata Dal (BJD). At the same time, BJP has increased the rivalry by supporting independent Dilip Rai. In such a situation, it can be a tough competition. Similarly, there are elections for 2 Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana. BJP has fielded only one candidate, while there is a possibility of a clash between Congress and regional parties on the other seat.
How are elections for Rajya Sabha members held?
The public does not vote directly in the Rajya Sabha elections. The members of Rajya Sabha are elected by the MLAs (MLAs) of the states. This is indirect election. The Rajya Sabha consists of a total of 245 members, of which 233 are elected from states and union territories and 12 members are nominated by the President. In voting, MLAs vote on the basis of priority in the order of 1, 2, 3 on the ballot paper. This is called the single transferable vote system.
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