Today is the last date for withdrawal of nominations for biennial elections to 11 Rajya Sabha seats, with polling scheduled for October 16.

The withdrawal deadline is the final checkpoint before the contest list is frozen. Candidates who step aside today will narrow the field, and in states where the numbers are settled, some seats could be decided without a contest.

Rajya Sabha elections are held every two years for a third of the seats, and the current round will shape party strength in the upper house. With parties holding strategy meets through the week, today's deadline will reveal the final line-up.

The Election Commission will scrutinise the remaining nominations and allot symbols before polling day. Voting, where needed, takes place through an open ballot system in which MLAs mark their preferences.

Results will be known on October 16 itself, and the outcome could marginally shift the balance of power in the upper house at a politically sensitive time.