Voting is underway on Monday for 11 Rajya Sabha seats across three states — Bihar, Odisha, and Haryana — as part of elections to fill 37 seats in the Upper House of Parliament. While 26 candidates from ten states were elected unopposed, polls are being held for the remaining seats where contestation is required.

Polling started at 9:00 am and will continue until 4:00 pm, with counting scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm. The elections follow the recent vacating of seats across several states, including seven in Maharashtra, six in Tamil Nadu, five each in Bihar and West Bengal, four in Odisha, three in Assam, two each in Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Telangana, and one in Himachal Pradesh.

In Bihar, voting is taking place for five Rajya Sabha seats. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded five candidates, including Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union Minister Ram Nath Thakur, Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha, and BJP’s Shivesh Kumar, seeking a first term. The opposition RJD has fielded Amarendra Dhari Singh, aiming to secure support from parties including AIMIM to challenge the NDA’s dominance.

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In Odisha, polling is underway for four seats in the state assembly. The BJP has nominated its state president Manmohan Samal and sitting MP Sujeet Kumar, with former Union Minister Dilip Ray contesting as an independent with BJP backing. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has fielded Santrupt Misra and urologist Dr. Datteswar Hota, supported by Congress and CPI(M). Both parties lack sufficient numbers to claim all four seats outright, raising the possibility of cross-voting.

In Haryana, two seats are being contested by three candidates: BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia, Congress’s Karamvir Singh Boudh, and Independent candidate Satish Nandal. The BJP is backing Nandal for the second seat, despite his previous unsuccessful run in the 2019 assembly polls.

The elections are being closely watched as they could impact the composition and strength of parties in the Rajya Sabha. Political observers note that outcomes in Bihar and Odisha, in particular, may hinge on strategic alliances and cross-voting among legislators, reflecting the competitive nature of these biennial Upper House polls.

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