Advantage BJP in March 16 RS polls

New Delhi: The BJP is set to gain strength in the Rajya Sabha when 37 seats go for biennial polls on March 16 as it has governments or is an alliance partner in six of the 10 states where seats are falling vacant.

The 37 seats fall vacant on April 2 and 9. According to the Election Commission, the states where seats are falling vacant are Maharashtra (7 seats), Odisha (4 seats), Telangana (2 seats), Tamil Nadu (6 seats), Chhattisgarh (2 seats), West Bengal (5 seats), Assam (3 seats), Haryana (2 seats), Himachal Pradesh (1 seat) and Bihar (5 seats).

Notifications for the polls will be issued on February 26 and as per established practice, polling on March 16 will be held between 9 am and 4 pm and votes will be counted from 5 pm the same day.

The BJP has governments, or is an alliance partner in Maharashtra, Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Assam. It will help the party gain numbers in the upper house.