Finance
On Wednesday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) released the Rajya Sabha election calendar, which includes votes to fill 37 vacant seats, four of which are from Odisha. These seats have become vacant due to members’ planned retirement in April 2026.
In a press release issued on February 18, 2026, the ECI announced that the terms of 37 members from ten states will expire in April, and that to replace these vacancies, the Commission has arranged biennial elections using the usual electoral method.
The official election timeline states that the notification for the polls will be sent on February 26, 2026. Nominations can be lodged until March 5, with nomination documents scrutinized on March 6. Candidates will have until March 9 to withdraw their candidatures if they choose to do so.
If necessary, voting will occur on March 16, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The vote counting is set to commence at 5:00 p.m. on the same day. The full election process is projected to be completed by March 20, 2026.
