# EC announces biennial polls for Council and Rajya Sabha seats in 7 states 2026-09-22T07:26:34+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets The Election Commission on Tuesday announced biennial elections for 28 Legislative Council seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, and for 12 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal. The Council polls for graduates' and teachers' constituencies will be held on October 23, 2026, with counting on October 27. The Rajya Sabha elections will take place on October 16, 2026. Under Article 171, Council seats are elected by graduate and teacher voters registered for at least three years. Outgoing Rajya Sabha members include eight BJP, one SP, and one BSP leader from Uttar Pradesh. Based on assembly numbers, the BJP-led alliance is expected to win eight of the 10 UP Rajya Sabha seats, while the SP may secure two. The BSP risks losing representation. The West Bengal bypoll was triggered by Rukmini Mallik's resignation, the BJP is favoured to win that seat. The Model Code of Conduct is now in force for the affected constituencies. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The story's main fact, the ECI's announcement, is reported uniformly across outlets, but Times Now's coverage of Council elections focuses entirely on the graduate and teacher constituency system, describing the voter base as specialised and predicting low turnout, while India TV leads with the seat breakdown per state. The Times of India covers a different set of polls, Rajya Sabha seats, and frames it around party arithmetic, naming BJP's expected gains and BSP's possible wipeout. A reader combining the three learns that the EC announced both Council and Rajya Sabha polls on one day, but each outlet's angle shapes which election seems primary. The Council polls deserve attention because they test whether educated and teaching voters turn out for seats that are often party-dominated. Results on 27 October 2026 will show. ## Coverage - indiatvnews.com (neutral report) Leads with seat breakdown by state, neutral factual reporting - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Focuses on graduate/teacher voter system and low turnout prediction - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Frames around party arithmetic, BJP's expected wins, BSP's risk Tags: Bihar, Election Commission of India, Karnataka, Legislative Council, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ec-sets-23-october-polling-for-28-council-seats-in-4-states/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ec-sets-23-october-polling-for-28-council-seats-in-4-states/#story-in-brief