New Delhi, March 5 : The process for filing nominations for the biennial elections to the Council of States, Rajya Sabha, will begin on Thursday, with candidates set to contest 37 seats in the Upper House.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had on February 18 announced the schedule for the biennial elections to fill 37 vacancies arising from 10 states. These seats are falling vacant as the terms of the incumbent members are scheduled to conclude in April 2026.

As per the notified schedule, polling will be held on March 16 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., with the counting of votes slated for 5:00 p.m. on the same day. The Commission has put in place a comprehensive timetable to facilitate the smooth conduct of the electoral process in view of the impending vacancies.

The scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on March 6, while March 9 has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal of candidatures.

In its guidelines, the Commission has specified that only integrated violet sketch pens of pre-determined specifications, to be supplied by the Returning Officer, will be permitted for marking preferences on the ballot papers. It has clarified that the use of any other writing instrument will not be allowed.

To ensure transparency and fairness, observers will be deployed to oversee the entire election process. The Commission has stressed strict adherence to all election-related instructions and underlined that the process will be completed within the stipulated timeline to maintain the integrity of the Rajya Sabha elections.

The members whose terms are coming to an end represent Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana.

Meanwhile, political parties have stepped up their preparations for the contest. The BJP has announced candidates, including Nitin Nabin and Shivesh Kumar from Bihar; Terash Gowalla and Jogen Mohan from Assam; Laxmi Verma from Chhattisgarh; Sanjay Bhatia from Haryana; Manmohan Samal and Sujeet Kumar from Odisha; and Rahul Sinha from West Bengal.

Following intense consultations, the Congress on Wednesday declared its support for NCP-SP chief and former Union Minister Sharad Pawar in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha polls.

The decision was announced at a press conference addressed by state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, in the presence of NCP-SP working president Supriya Sule, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar and party legislator Satej Patil.

The BJP has also nominated Vinod Tawde, the partyâ??s National General Secretary and in charge of Bihar, marking his return to parliamentary politics after remaining out of the legislative arena since 2019.

In addition, the party has renominated Ramdas Athawale, National President of the RPI (Athawale) and a sitting Union Minister of State. The other nominees include Maya Chintaman Ivnate, a tribal leader and former Mayor of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, and Ramrao Wadkute, who belongs to the Dhangar community from Hingoli district.

/IANS