The Election Commission announced on September 22, 2026 that Rajya Sabha elections covering ten Uttar Pradesh seats and one Uttarakhand seat would be held on October 16. It also scheduled a by-election for one West Bengal vacancy.
The announced timetable set September 29 for notifications, October 6 for nominations, October 7 for scrutiny and October 9 for withdrawals. ANI reported polling hours of 9am to 4pm on October 16, with counting scheduled for 5pm. Returning officers were to provide the specified violet sketch pens for marking ballot preferences.
The Indian Express distinguished nine UP incumbents whose terms end on November 25 from the seat already vacated by Dinesh Sharma on September 11 following his appointment as Andaman and Nicobar Islands lieutenant governor. Uttarakhand's seat was held by Naresh Bansal. The UP seats included those of Hardeep Singh Puri, B L Verma and Ram Gopal Yadav.
West Bengal's by-election followed Rukmini Mallik's resignation. The separate Legislative Council announcement concerned graduate and teacher constituencies: eleven seats in Uttar Pradesh, eight in Bihar, five in Maharashtra and four in Karnataka. ANI reported October 23 polling and October 27 counting for those Council contests, rather than the Rajya Sabha timetable.
Correction, October 12, 2026: The previous version conflated parliamentary and state Legislative Council elections. This account separates their seats and polling dates.
