Rajya Sabha elections on March 16 for 37 seats across 10 states, says EC

Polling will take place on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm.

• Rajya Sabha polls for 37 seats in 10 states set for March 16
• Nominations close March 5, polling from 9 am to 4 pm
• EVM and VVPAT awareness drives held in poll-bound states

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The Election Commission of India has said that polling for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states will be held on March 16.

The elections are being conducted as the terms of these members of the Council of States are set to expire in April.

According to the EC, the election process will begin with the issue of notifications on February 26. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, while scrutiny will be conducted on March 6. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until March 9.

Polling will take place on March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm. The counting of votes will also be held at 5 pm the same day.

The 37 retiring members belong to Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana. According to the EC,  observers will be appointed and specific ballot-marking guidelines will be followed to ensure free and fair elections.

"The Commission has directed that only integrated violet colour sketch pen(s) of pre-fixed specification, provided by the Returning Officer, shall be used for the purpose of marking preference(s) on the ballot paper. No other pen shall be used for marking preferences in the above said elections," the press note read.

It has launched an extensive EVM and VVPAT awareness campaign across poll-bound States and Union Territories of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal to familiarise voters with the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units.

According to the EC press note, over 1.20 lakh electors participated in EVM Demonstration camps at EDCs across 5 States and UTs, and over 1.16 lakh electors cast mock votes in these demonstrations. Over 29,000 Polling Station Locations (PSLs) have already been covered by MDVs as of February 10.

The campaign is being conducted through EVM Demonstration Centres (EDCs) and Mobile Demonstration Vans (MDVs) in a structured and time-bound manner, the Commission said in a press note.