New Delhi, March 5 (NationPress) The nomination process for the upcoming biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, is officially commencing on Thursday. Candidates will vie for 37 available seats in this prestigious Upper House.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) revealed the election schedule on February 18 to address the vacancies from 10 states. These seats will be vacated as the current members' terms are scheduled to end in April 2026.

Polling is set for March 16, with voting hours from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and vote counting is planned for 5:00 p.m. on the same day. The Commission has established a detailed timeline to ensure the electoral process proceeds smoothly in light of the forthcoming vacancies.

Nomination paper scrutiny will occur on March 6, while March 9 has been designated as the last day for candidates to withdraw their nominations.

The Commission's guidelines indicate that only specific integrated violet sketch pens, provided by the Returning Officer, will be allowed for marking preferences on the ballots, with any other writing instruments being strictly prohibited.

To promote transparency and fairness, observers will be appointed to monitor the entire election process. The Commission has emphasized the importance of adhering to all election-related directives and has assured that the process will be completed within the designated timeline to uphold the integrity of the Rajya Sabha elections.

The members whose terms are expiring represent various states, including Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana.

Meanwhile, political parties are intensifying their preparations for the elections. The BJP has announced its candidates, which include Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar from Bihar; Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan from Assam; Laxmi Verma from Chhattisgarh; Sanjay Bhatia from Haryana; Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar from Odisha; and Rahul Sinha from West Bengal.

After extensive deliberations, the Congress party has formally endorsed NCP-SP chief and former Union Minister Sharad Pawar for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

This announcement was made during a press conference led by state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, alongside NCP-SP working president Supriya Sule, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar, and party legislator Satej Patil.

The BJP has also put forward Vinod Tawde, the party’s National General Secretary and in charge of Bihar, marking his return to parliamentary politics after a hiatus since 2019.

The party has renominated Ramdas Athawale, the National President of the RPI (Athawale) and a sitting Union Minister of State. Other nominees include Maya Chintaman Ivnate, a tribal leader and former Mayor of Nagpur, as well as Ramrao Wadkute, who hails from the Dhangar community in Hingoli district.