The biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha to fill 37 seats across 10 states are scheduled on Monday, with counting of votes set for the same day at 5 pm.The term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected.Out of these, 26 candidates have already secured victory unopposed. Voting will now take place for the remaining 11 seats, including five from Bihar, four from Odisha, and two from Haryana.In key battlegrounds in Bihar, Haryana, and Odisha, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is working to defeat Opposition gains.So far, 26 candidates have been elected unopposed, with the BJP securing seven, Congress five, the Trinamool Congress four, the DMK three, and Shiv Sena, RPI(A), NCP, NCP(SP), AIADMK, PMK, and UPPL one each. Notable names among the winners include Sharad Pawar, Abhishek Singhvi, Tiruchi Siva, and Vinod Tawade.Haryana, Bihar and Odisha have emerged as key arenas of contest between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition bloc for four important seats. A notable figure in these Rajya Sabha polls is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. — with AgenciesHaryana: 12 votes cast so far, including CM and three ministersMarch 16, 2026 10:27 amSo far, 12 votes have been cast in the Haryana Rajya Sabha elections — 11 BJP MLAs, including CM Nayab Saini and three ministers, and one Independent.Haryana: Independent, BJP MLAs cast their votesMarch 16, 2026 10:21 amIndependent MLA Savitri Jindal, BJP ministers Arti Singh Rao and Shruti Choudhry, and BJP MLA Shakti Rani Sharma cast their votes at the Haryana Vidhan Sabha.Bihar: NDA, RJD contest five seats amid tight numbersMarch 16, 2026 10:00 amPatna: Voting began for five Rajya Sabha seats in Bihar, with five nominees from the ruling NDA and one from the opposition RJD contesting the biennial polls. The polling commenced at 9 am and will continue till 5 pm in the Bihar Assembly complex. Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar and BJP national president Nitin Nabin are among the NDA candidates. The other three nominees from the ruling coalition are Union Minister Ram Nath Thakur, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha, both sitting members of the Rajya Sabha, and BJP’s Shivesh Kumar, who is seeking a berth in the Upper House of Parliament for the first time. With numbers comfortably in favour of the NDA for four seats and marginally short for the fifth, the Opposition forced an election by fielding RJD’s Amarendra Dhari Singh.BJP leader and Haryana minister Anil Vij expected to arrive to cast his vote despite a fractureMarch 16, 2026 9:55 amCongress claims that MLA Mohd Ilyas, though unwell, will participate in voting.Odisha: Four seats at stake amid cross-voting concernsMarch 16, 2026 9:52 amBhubaneswar: Polling for four Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha began on Monday, with the opposition BJD accusing the ruling BJP of indulging in “horse trading”. The voting commenced at 9 am and will continue till 4 pm in the Assembly complex, where MLAs have started casting their ballots. The voting for the RS polls is being held in the state after a gap of 12 years, as this time, five candidates are in the fray for the four seats which will fall vacant on April 2. Two candidates of the BJP are its state unit president Manmohan Samal, and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar. Former Union minister Dilip Ray is also contesting as an Independent and has the support of the saffron party. The BJD nominees are party leader Santrupt Misra and eminent urologist Dr Datteswar Hota, whom the Congress and the CPI(M) are supporting. There is a possibility of cross-voting as neither the ruling BJP nor the opposition BJD has the required numbers to win the fourth seat.Haryana: Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini casts first voteMarch 16, 2026 9:41 amChandigarh: No phones, watches, or pens are allowed inside the polling premises. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs also scheduled a meeting in the committee room of the Vidhan Sabha. Ministers including Rao Narbir Singh, Ranbir Gangwa, and Krishan Lal Panwar have also arrived. The ruling BJP has 48 MLAs, the INLD has two and three legislators are Independents in the 90-member Haryana Assembly. Notably, Congress with 37 members has the required strength to help its candidate win a seat. The equation, however, could change in case of cross-voting. Each of the two candidates requires 31 votes to make it to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana.Haryana Rajya Sabha polls: Congress, BJP MLAs converge in Chandigarh as polling begins for two-seat contestMarch 16, 2026 9:39 amhttps://www.Jattvibe.com/news/haryana/haryana-rajya-sabha-polls-congress-bjp-mlas-converge-in-chandigarh-as-polling-begins/26 candidates elected unopposedMarch 16, 2026 9:19 am26 candidates have been elected unopposed, with the BJP securing seven, Congress five, the Trinamool Congress four, the DMK three, and Shiv Sena, RPI(A), NCP, NCP(SP), AIADMK, PMK, and UPPL one each. Notable names among the winners include Sharad Pawar, Abhishek Singhvi, Tiruchi Siva, and Vinod Tawade.