Election Commission sets March 16 for biennial polls to 37 Rajya Sabha seats

The Election Commission announced on Wednesday that the biennial elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states will be held on March 16.

As per established practice, polling on March 16 will be held between 9 am and 4 pm and votes will be counted from 5 pm the same day.

The states where seats are falling vacant are Maharashtra (7 seats), Tamil Nadu (6 seats), Bihar (5 seats), West Bengal (5 seats), Odisha (4 seats), Assam (3 seats), Telangana (2 seats), Chhattisgarh (2 seats), Haryana (2 seats), Himachal Pradesh (1 seat)

These seats are falling vacant on April two and nine, and notifications for the polls will be issued on February 26.

Amongst the prominent MPs retiring are Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), Abhishek Singhvi (Congress), Saket Gokhale (TMC), Ramdas Athawale (RPI-A), M Thambidurai (AIADMK) and Tiruchi Siva (DMK).