There is going to be a major change in the Rajya Sabha in 2026, as elections will be held in April, June and November for 75 seats. Of these, 233 seats are elected by the state assemblies, while 12 seats are nominated by the President. The term of several prominent leaders is ending, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
The term of Mallikarjun Kharge and HD Deve Gowda from Karnataka will end on 25 June 2026. Kharge, who is a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka and Leader of Opposition from Karnataka since 2020, is important for the Congress. 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh will be vacant, of which the term of Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and BL Verma will end on 25 November 2026. The term of Ranjan Gogoi, who is a member of the President, will end in March 2026.
Maharashtra will have seven seats vacant in April 2026, including Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena UBT) and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale. Ravneet Singh Bittu from Rajasthan, who left the Congress in 2024 and joined the BJP, and George Kurian and Digvijay Singh from Madhya Pradesh will retire on 21 June 2026. The term of JMM’s Shibu Soren from Jharkhand and Shaktisinh Gohil from Gujarat will also end in June 2026. Sana Satish Babu of TDP from Andhra Pradesh and Ayodhya Rami Reddy of YSRCP, Parimal Nathwani and Pilli Subhash will retire. Congress’s Abhishek Manu Singhvi will retire from Telangana in April 2026.
At present, the NDA has 129 seats in the Rajya Sabha, while the opposition has 78 seats. These elections will be decisive for the balance of power. These retirements will give new leaders a chance, but old political fights may also continue.
