The biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha to fill 37 seats across 10 states are underway, with counting of votes scheduled at 5 pm on Monday.The terms of 37 members elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana are set to conclude in April, vacating the seats for new members.Of these, 26 candidates have already secured victory unopposed. Voting is currently taking place for the remaining 11 seats—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, with notable names such as Sharad Pawar, Abhishek Singhvi, Tiruchi Siva, and Vinod Tawade.Haryana, Bihar, and Odisha are expected to decide crucial seats, with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar a key figure in the polls. — with AgenciesVoting for the two Rajya Sabha seats of Haryana concluded with 88 MLAs casting their votesMarch 16, 2026 3:59 pmVoting for the two Rajya Sabha seats of Haryana concluded with 88 MLAs casting their votes, while INLD, with two MLAs, chose to abstain from voting. All three candidates — BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia, Congress’ Karamvir Boudh, and BJP-backed Independent Satish Nandal — expressed confidence about winning the election.Haryana: INLD abstains from votingMarch 16, 2026 2:48 pmThe Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has abstained from voting in the Rajya Sabha elections. Only four votes were left to be cast — Minister Krishan Bedi, Independent MLA Devinder Kadyan, and two INLD MLAs who decided to abstain. Earlier, Speaker Harvinder Kalyan cast his vote. He had especially come to vote even though his mother passed away on Saturday.Odisha: Voting halted for 30 minutes, BJD objects to issuance of 2nd ballot paper to BJP MLAMarch 16, 2026 2:11 pmPolling for the four Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha was halted for about half an hour over a dispute on the issuance of a second ballot paper to a BJP MLA. The opposition BJD agent objected to the issuance of a second ballot paper to BJP MLA Upasana Mohapatra. She sought another ballot paper for overwriting on the one, issued in her name earlier. Later, Mohapatra was allowed to cast her vote. However, BJD president Naveen Patnaik strongly objected to the issuance of a second ballot paper to the BJP MLA.Nitin Nabin, Tejashwi Yadav among leaders who cast votes in BiharMarch 16, 2026 1:58 pmBJP national president Nitin Nabin, also the five-time MLA from Bankipur Assembly seat, RJD’s national working president Tejashwi Yadav, BJP MLA Maithili Thakur, and jailed JD(U) legislator Anant Singh, among others, cast their ballots.’NDA will win all five seats in Bihar’: JD(U) MP Sanjay JhaMarch 16, 2026 1:27 pmJanata Dal (United) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha exuded confidence that all NDA candidates from Bihar will secure victory in the Rajya Sabha elections. “NDA will win all five seats with a big margin. Four seats are confirmed. We will also win the fifth seat,” he said. Bihar minister Mangal Pandey also said the same while taking a jibe over reports of RJD moving their MLAs to a hotel to prevent any cross-voting.Vinesh Pogat arrives in Chandigarh with MPs Deepender Hooda and Satpal BrahmachariMarch 16, 2026 12:32 pmTribune photo: Ravi KumarHaryana minister Anil Vij arrives in wheelchair to cast voteMarch 16, 2026 12:12 pmTribune photo: Ravi Kumar | Haryana Minister for Energy, Transport, and Labour, Anil Vij, arrived in a wheelchair to cast his vote in the ongoing Rajya Sabha elections. Vij, who has been on bed rest after suffering fractures in both feet, travelled from Ambala to Chandigarh to participate in the polls. While leaving for Chandigarh, Vij expressed confidence that both Rajya Sabha seats will go to the BJP. Taking a swipe at the Congress, he remarked that the manner in which former CM Bhupinder Hooda had sent the Congress MLAs away clearly shows he has no trust in his own legislators.Haryana: 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.