According to the poll schedule released Wednesday, voting will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by counting at 5 p.m. The election process will conclude by March 20. Of the seats going to polls, 12 are currently held by NDA members and 25 by opposition parties, making the outcome politically consequential ahead of upcoming state and national contests.

Among prominent leaders retiring in April are Sharad Pawar, Abhishek Singhvi, Ramdas Athawale, Kanimozhi, Tiruchi Siva, and Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh. Their departure opens space for fresh nominees and possible strategic reshuffles within parties.

State-wise, Maharashtra has the highest number of vacancies with seven seats, followed by Tamil Nadu with six, and West Bengal and Bihar with five each. The remaining seats are distributed among Assam, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Rajya Sabha members are elected indirectly by state legislators using a proportional representation system. The winning quota is calculated using a formula based on the total number of MLAs and seats available. For instance, in Maharashtra’s 288-member Assembly and seven vacancies, a candidate requires the support of at least 36 legislators to secure a seat.

The Commission has directed that voting must be marked only with a violet sketch pen supplied by the returning officer, warning that use of any other pen will invalidate the ballot. Observers will be deployed to ensure the process remains free and fair.

In Bihar, political attention is focused on whether Deputy Chairman Harivansh will be renominated and on reports that Chirag Paswan may seek a seat for a family member, a move seen as a test of his influence within alliance politics.

Separately, the Commission said its nationwide awareness drive on electronic voting systems has already engaged more than 120,000 participants across several states, with mobile demonstration units covering over 29,000 polling locations.

With multiple heavyweight exits and tight legislative arithmetic in several states, parties are expected to finalise candidates carefully, as even minor shifts in numbers could alter the balance of power in the Upper House.