# Rajya Sabha polls on October 16 for 12 seats in UP, Uttarakhand and Bengal

2026-09-22T07:47:37+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The Election Commission has announced Rajya Sabha elections for 12 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, with voting on October 16. The polls cover 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand, whose members' terms end on November 25, and a bypoll in West Bengal following the resignation of Rukmini Mallik. The notification will be issued on September 29, with nominations closing on October 6 and counting the same day as voting. Among retiring Uttar Pradesh members are BJP leaders Hardeep Singh Puri, Arun Singh, Geeta Shakya and Neeraj Shekhar, along with SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BSP's Ramji Gautam. Based on assembly arithmetic, the BJP-led alliance is projected to win eight seats and the SP two, potentially leaving the BSP without Rajya Sabha representation as it has no MLAs after the death of its lone legislator in August. The BJP is also expected to retain the Uttarakhand seat and win the West Bengal bypoll from the TMC.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three sources report the same facts from the Election Commission's schedule. India Today and Rediff add political arithmetic: the BJP is projected to win eight Uttar Pradesh seats, the SP two, and the BSP risks losing its lone seat because it has no MLA. India TV omits this projection. The critical point across sources is the BSP's potential exit from the Rajya Sabha. The arithmetic rests on the current assembly numbers, but the 2020 precedent shows a BJP-BSP understanding cannot be ruled out again. The October 16 results will confirm whether the BSP retains any Upper House presence.

## Coverage

- indiatvnews.com (neutral report) <https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/rajya-sabha-polls-on-october-16-hardeep-puri-ram-gopal-yadav-seats-among-11-up-for-election-in-up-uttarakhand-latest-updates-2026-09-22-1054906>
  Straight poll schedule reporting, no political analysis added
- indiatoday.in (neutral report) <https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/rajya-sabha-elections-october-16-12-seats-uttar-pradesh-uttarakhand-west-bengal-ptag-3000082-2026-09-22?utm_source=rss>
  Leads with schedule but adds BSP squeeze and assembly arithmetic projection
- rediff.com (neutral report) <https://www.rediff.com/news/report/ec-announces-schedule-for-polls-to-12-rs-seats-in--up-uttarakhand-bengal/20260922.htm>
  Wire-style reporting including political implications and BSP risk of losing seat

Tags: BSP, Election Commission of India, Hardip Singh Puri, Ram Gopal Yadav, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
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