Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that bypolls for three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal will be held on July 24, 2026. The counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on the same day after polling concludes. The bypolls have been necessitated following the resignation of three members from the Upper House.

The Election Commission has also released the complete schedule for the election process, including nomination, scrutiny and withdrawal dates.

Why Are the Rajya Sabha Seats Vacant?

The three Rajya Sabha seats became vacant after the resignations of:

• Sukhendu Sekhar Ray
• Sushmita Dev
• Prakash Chik Baraik

All three members resigned before completing their terms, making fresh elections necessary to fill the vacancies.

Complete Election Schedule

According to the Election Commission's notification:

Notification Date: July 7, 2026
Last Date for Filing Nominations: July 14, 2026
Scrutiny of Nominations: July 15, 2026
Last Date for Withdrawal of Candidature: July 17, 2026
Polling (if required): July 24, 2026
Counting of Votes and Declaration of Results: July 24, 2026

If the number of candidates equals the number of vacant seats, the candidates may be elected unopposed. Voting will be conducted only if more candidates contest than the available seats.

Election to Be Held Through MLAs

Rajya Sabha members are elected by the elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) using the system of proportional representation through the single transferable vote.

Since these are bypolls, the elected candidates will serve only for the remaining tenure of the members whose seats became vacant.

Political Significance of the Bypolls

The bypolls are expected to attract political attention in West Bengal as they will determine who fills the three vacant seats in Parliament's Upper House.

Political parties are expected to finalise their candidates in the coming days before the nomination process begins. The outcome could influence the numerical strength of parties in the Rajya Sabha, although the final result will depend on the composition of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.