ECI Announces Rajya Sabha, MLC Election Schedule for 2026
The Election Commission of India has announced a major round of parliamentary and Legislative Council elections for October 2026. Twelve Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, along with 28 MLC seats in four states, will be contested under separate schedules, putting several major political parties into a new round of electoral preparation.
The Election Commission of India announced the 2026 election schedule on September 22, setting October dates for elections to the Rajya Sabha and several state Legislative Council seats. The Rajya Sabha MLC elections 2026 calendar covers 12 Rajya Sabha vacancies across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, alongside 28 Legislative Council seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The announcement is significant because the two sets of elections involve different electoral colleges and voting systems. Rajya Sabha members are elected indirectly by elected members of state Legislative Assemblies, while the 28 MLC seats being contested are from specialized Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies. The distinction is important for voters, parties and candidates preparing for the October polls.
Takeaway: Key Points
- Rajya Sabha polls: Twelve seats are covered, including 10 in Uttar Pradesh, one in Uttarakhand and one West Bengal bye-election seat.
- Rajya Sabha polling: Voting will take place on October 16, 2026, from 9 AM to 4 PM, with counting scheduled for 5 PM.
- MLC polls: Twenty-eight Legislative Council seats will be contested in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka on October 23, 2026.
- MLC breakdown: UP has 11 seats, Bihar eight, Maharashtra five and Karnataka four.
- MLC polling: Voting will take place from 8 AM to 4 PM, with counting on October 27.
- Major parties: BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, Congress, TMC, JD(U), RJD, Shiv Sena and NCP factions, and JD(S) are among the parties relevant to the respective contests, although final candidate lists will determine the individual battles.
ECI Announces October Election Schedule
The Election Commission of India announced the schedules for two separate election exercises on September 22. The first covers 11 biennial Rajya Sabha vacancies in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, together with a separate West Bengal Rajya Sabha bye-election. The second covers 28 biennial Legislative Council vacancies in four states.
The combined announcement makes October a busy month for India’s indirect elections. The ECI election schedule 2026 establishes September 29 as the notification date for both election processes.
For the Rajya Sabha contests, the nomination deadline is October 6, scrutiny is October 7, and withdrawal closes on October 9. Polling is scheduled for October 16.
The Legislative Council process follows the same nomination timetable but has polling on October 23 and counting on October 27.
12 Rajya Sabha Seats to Go to Polls
The Rajya Sabha Election updates announced by the Commission cover 12 seats in three states. Eleven are regular biennial elections, while one is a bye-election caused by a casual vacancy.
| State | Rajya Sabha Seats | Election Type |
|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 10 | Biennial |
| Uttarakhand | 1 | Biennial |
| West Bengal | 1 | Bye-election |
| Total | 12 |
The Rajya Sabha seats 2026 exercise therefore needs to be understood as two related but legally distinct processes.
Nine UP seats and the Uttarakhand seat are due to become vacant as the current terms expire on November 25. The tenth UP seat became vacant after Dinesh Sharma resigned following his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Important Rajya Sabha Dates
- September 29: Notification issued
- October 6: Last date for nominations
- October 7: Scrutiny of nominations
- October 9: Last date for withdrawal
- October 16: Polling, 9 AM to 4 PM
- October 16: Counting from 5 PM
- October 19: Election process to be completed
Uttar Pradesh: 10 Rajya Sabha Seats at Stake
The Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha polls are the largest part of the parliamentary election exercise. Ten seats are involved, and the current party distribution is eight BJP seats, one Samajwadi Party seat and one BSP seat. This is the existing composition of the seats going to the polls, not a projection of the eventual results.
The outgoing UP members are:
- Hardeep Singh Puri, BJP
- Arun Singh, BJP
- Brijlal, BJP
- B. L. Verma, BJP
- Ram Gopal Yadav, Samajwadi Party
- Neeraj Shekhar, BJP
- Geeta Shakya, BJP
- Ramji Gautam, BSP
- Seema Dwivedi, BJP
- Dinesh Sharma, BJP
Nine seats are reaching the end of their normal terms, while Sharma’s seat became vacant following his resignation.
UP’s Existing Party Position
The current distribution provides the baseline for understanding the contest:
- BJP: 8 seats
- Samajwadi Party: 1 seat
- BSP: 1 seat
The eventual allocation will depend on the Assembly numbers, candidate nominations, voting and the applicable proportional-representation system.
Uttarakhand Rajya Sabha Election
The Uttarakhand Rajya Sabha election involves one biennial seat currently represented by BJP’s Naresh Bansal. Bansal began his term on November 26, 2020, and his term is scheduled to end on November 25, 2026.
Polling for the seat will take place on October 16. As with other Rajya Sabha elections, the electorate consists of elected members of the state Legislative Assembly rather than the general public.
West Bengal Rajya Sabha Bypoll
West Bengal’s contest is different from the 11 regular biennial elections. It is a by-election for one casual vacancy.
The vacancy followed the resignation of TMC MP Rukmini Mallik, which was accepted with effect from July 16, 2026. The winner will serve the remainder of the existing term rather than begin a fresh six-year term.
Polling and counting for this seat are scheduled for October 16.
28 MLC Seats Across Four States
The second major component of the Rajya Sabha MLC elections 2026 schedule is the election of 28 members to state Legislative Councils.
| State | MLC Seats | Constituencies |
|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 11 | 5 Graduates, 6 Teachers |
| Bihar | 8 | 4 Graduates, 4 Teachers |
| Maharashtra | 5 | 3 Graduates, 2 Teachers |
| Karnataka | 4 | 2 Graduates, 2 Teachers |
| Total | 28 |
These are biennial Legislative Council elections involving seats whose sitting members’ terms are due to expire in November and December.
UP, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka MLC Seat Breakdown
Uttar Pradesh
The UP MLC elections cover 11 seats, comprising five Graduates’ constituencies and six Teachers’ constituencies.
Bihar
The Bihar MLC elections cover eight seats, evenly divided between four Graduates’ and four Teachers’ constituencies.
Maharashtra
The Maharashtra MLC elections cover five seats, including three Graduates’ and two Teachers’ constituencies. The five seats are due to become vacant when the terms of the current members expire on December 6, 2026.
Karnataka
The Karnataka MLC elections involve four seats, with two from Graduates’ constituencies and two from Teachers’ constituencies.
Full MLC Election Schedule
The schedule for the 28th Legislative Council elections 2026 is:
- September 29: Notification
- October 6: Last date for nominations
- October 7: Scrutiny
- October 9: Last date for withdrawal
- October 23: Polling, 8 AM to 4 PM
- October 27: Counting
- October 31: Election process to be completed
Parties and Leaders to Watch
The Political parties involved will approach the contests according to the electoral college, local arithmetic and candidate selection.
In Uttar Pradesh, BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress remain relevant to the political landscape. Bihar’s contest involves BJP, JD(U), RJD, Congress and other NDA and opposition parties. In Maharashtra, BJP, the Shiv Sena factions, NCP factions and Congress are important political players. Karnataka’s principal parties include BJP, Congress and JD(S).
These references should not be read as confirmation that every party will contest every seat. Candidate lists and formal nominations will establish the actual field.
What Voters Need to Know
The Election update 2026 is particularly important for people eligible to vote in the specialized MLC constituencies.
Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies have separate electoral rolls. The Election Commission’s electoral-roll guidance identifies specific qualifying requirements for these constituencies, making registration in the appropriate roll essential for eligible voters.
Key Voter Information
- Graduates’ constituencies are for eligible electors meeting the prescribed graduate qualification and registration requirements.
- Teachers’ constituencies have their own eligibility conditions and electoral rolls.
- Voters must ensure their names appear on the relevant constituency roll.
- Legislative Council elections use proportional representation through the single transferable vote system.
- Voters express preferences rather than simply selecting one candidate in the ordinary first-past-the-post manner.
For the Rajya Sabha elections, elected state legislators form the electoral college, and the election is conducted through proportional representation using the single transferable vote.
The ECI has also directed that integrated violet-color sketch pens supplied by Returning Officers be used for marking preferences on Rajya Sabha ballot papers.
For the MLC elections, the preferential voting system means voters rank candidates according to preference. The counting process takes those preferences into account under the proportional-representation framework.
Model Code of Conduct
The Election Commission said the Model Code of Conduct comes into force immediately in the concerned Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies for the MLC elections.
The code places election-related conduct requirements on political parties, candidates and other stakeholders within the constituencies covered by the poll. Its application should therefore be read in the context of these specific elections rather than as a blanket declaration covering every political activity across the states.
Rajya Sabha and MLC Elections 2026: Key Facts
Rajya Sabha + MLC Elections 2026
- Rajya Sabha seats: 12
- Rajya Sabha states: 3
- Rajya Sabha polling: October 16
- MLC seats: 28
- MLC states: 4
- MLC polling: October 23
- MLC counting: October 27
- UP Rajya Sabha seats: 10
- Uttarakhand Rajya Sabha seat: 1
- West Bengal Rajya Sabha bye-election: 1
- UP MLC seats: 11
- Bihar MLC seats: 8
- Maharashtra MLC seats: 5
- Karnataka MLC seats: 4
Why the October Polls Matter
The Rajya Sabha Election updates will be closely followed because changes in individual state representation can affect the composition of the Upper House. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 10 of the 12 Rajya Sabha contests, while Uttarakhand contributes one regular vacancy and West Bengal has a separate casual-vacancy election.
The MLC contests have a different political and electoral character. The 28 seats are restricted to Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies, so their electorate is much narrower than that of Assembly elections.
For BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP, TMC, JD(U), RJD and the parties competing in Maharashtra and Karnataka, candidate selection and constituency-level organization will be important parts of the election process. However, the final candidates and formal nominations must be considered before concluding individual contests.
Conclusion
The October 2026 election calendar brings 12 Rajya Sabha contests and 28 Legislative Council elections into focus across seven states. The separate polling dates, electoral colleges and voting procedures make it important to distinguish the parliamentary contests from the MLC elections. Official notifications and candidate lists will provide the next key developments as the nomination process begins on September 29.
Stay informed by following official election notifications and verified updates as candidates and voting details are released.
