New Delhi, February 18: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday announced the schedule for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill the 37 seats across 10 states, as the members are set to complete their term in April 2026, a press note stated.

According to the press note, the term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected.

The notification will be issued on February 26, commencing the election process. The last date of nominations is March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6. The candidates can withdraw their nominations till March 9. The polling is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm. The election process will be completed by March 20.

The ECI has instructed that only integrated violet colour sketch pens must be used for marking the preferences on the ballot paper.

"The Commission has directed that only integrated violet colour sketch pen(s) of pre-fixed specification, provided by the Returning Officer, shall be used for the purpose of marking preference(s) on the ballot paper. No other pen shall be used for marking preferences in the above said elections," the press note read.

It also noted that adequate measures must be taken by appointing observers to ensure a smooth and fair conduct of the election process.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched an extensive EVM and VVPAT awareness campaign across poll-bound States and Union Territories of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal to familiarise voters with the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units.

According to the ECI press note, over 1.20 lakh electors participated in EVM Demonstration camps at EDCs across 5 States and UTs, and over 1.16 lakh electors cast mock votes in these demonstrations. Over 29,000 Polling Station Locations (PSLs) have already been covered by MDVs as of February 10.

The campaign is being conducted through EVM Demonstration Centres (EDCs) and Mobile Demonstration Vans (MDVs) in a structured and time-bound manner, the Commission said in a press note.