With the biennial Rajya Sabha elections approaching, the Congress leadership on Sunday (March 1) held a key strategy meeting at the New Delhi residence of Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to discuss candidates for 37 seats that will fall vacant in April 2026. The discussions reflect the party’s efforts to fine-tune its Upper House strategy amid changing political equations in several states.
Sources said the meeting was attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal. The focus was on shortlisting potential nominees and reviewing the numbers in each state ahead of the March 16 polling.
The meeting followed the Election Commission of India’s announcement of biennial elections to fill 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states. Voting is scheduled for March 16, and counting will take place the same day from 5 pm.
According to the notification, the terms of 37 members elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana will end in April 2026, making fresh elections necessary.