The Election Commission on Tuesday announced elections for 12 Rajya Sabha seats. If no unexpected political alliance is formed at the last moment after the elections on these seats, then the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) may remain without any representation in Parliament for the first time since 1989.

Rajya Sabha Election 2026: After the announcement of election schedule for 12 seats of Rajya Sabha, eyes have been fixed on the political activities of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. According to the Election Commission’s programme, these 12 seats include 10 from Uttar Pradesh, one from Uttarakhand and one from West Bengal. Voting will take place on 16 October 2026, while counting of votes will also be conducted on the same day.

The biggest impact of these elections can be seen in Uttar Pradesh, where elections are to be held on 10 Rajya Sabha seats. Based on the current assembly numbers, the mathematics of seats between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led alliance and the Samajwadi Party (SP) will be important. After this election, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) faces the challenge of maintaining its sole representation in the Rajya Sabha.

Rajya Sabha elections will be held on 16 October

According to the schedule of the Election Commission, the notification for Rajya Sabha elections will be issued on September 29. Candidates will be able to file nomination till October 6. Nomination papers will be scrutinized on October 7 and candidates will be able to withdraw their names till October 9. If necessary, voting will be held on October 16 from 9 am to 4 pm. After this, counting of votes will start from 5 pm. The entire election process is to be completed by October 19.

The tenure of nine members out of 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh is ending on November 25. One seat has already become vacant. The seat fell vacant following the resignation of former Rajya Sabha member Dinesh Sharma, who has been appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

BSP faces danger of being thrown out of Rajya Sabha

In the current political situation of Uttar Pradesh, BSP faces the challenge of maintaining its representation in the Rajya Sabha. The tenure of party’s Rajya Sabha member Ramji Gautam is about to end. Based on the current assembly numbers, if there is no major political change or unexpected alliance, the BSP is not believed to have enough numbers to regain its seat.

The result of this may be that BSP may not have any member in the Upper House of Parliament. This situation is important for the party because its current representation in the Rajya Sabha is mainly limited to the seat of Ramji Gautam.

Seat mathematics of BJP and SP in UP

Of the 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh where elections are to be held, currently eight seats are with BJP, while one seat each is with SP and BSP. Based on the strength of the current assembly, the BJP led alliance is said to be in a position to get around eight seats and SP two seats. However, the final results will depend on the candidates, nominations and political equations that arise at the time of voting.

Assembly elections are also proposed in Uttar Pradesh next year. In such a situation, both the strategy of political parties before the Rajya Sabha elections and their current numerical strength in the Assembly will play an important role.

Seats of Uttarakhand and West Bengal are also important

Elections for a Rajya Sabha seat of Uttarakhand will also be held on October 16. The tenure of current member Naresh Bansal is ending on November 25. By-elections will be held on one seat in West Bengal. This seat has become vacant after the resignation of Rukmini Malik. The member elected to this seat will complete the remaining period of the current term.