Overview

• 75 of the Rajya Sabha’s 245 seats will be contested in April, June and November 2026 following the end of six-year terms
• Key retirements in 2026 include Mallikarjun Kharge on June 25, Ranjan Gogoi in March, Digvijaya Singh and George Kurien on June 21, and Hardeep Singh Puri alongside B.L. Verma on November 25
• Maharashtra alone will lose seven seats in April 2026, among them Sharad Pawar, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale
• The outcome will determine the NDA’s legislative leverage in the Upper House given its current 129-seat majority against the opposition’s 78
• Twelve presidential nominations complement the 233 state-elected members, underscoring the combined electoral and nomination process that shapes the chamber’s composition