Congress holds discussions on crucial Rajya Sabha elections, candidate names to be announced soon

With the clock ticking on the upcoming biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha, the Congress leadership on Sunday, March 1 convened a crucial strategy meeting at the New Delhi residence of Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to deliberate on candidate selection for 37 seats falling vacant in April 2026. The high-level discussions signal the party’s attempt to recalibrate its Upper House strategy amid shifting political equations across key states.

According to sources, the meeting was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal. The deliberations focused on shortlisting nominees and assessing state-wise arithmetic ahead of the March 16 polling.

The move comes after the Election Commission of India announced biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha to fill 37 seats across 10 states. Polling is scheduled for March 16, with counting to be held the same day at 5 pm.

As per the official notification, the terms of 37 members elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana are set to expire in April 2026, necessitating fresh elections.