TheElection Commission has deferred the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for March 26in view of the coronavirus outbreak, official sources said on Tuesday.

Electionto fill up 55 seats in the Upper House of Parliament was to be held on March26, but 37 candidates have already been elected without a contest.

Thedecision on holding the election for the remaining 18 seats will be taken basedon the prevailing situation, the sources said.

Morethan 500 coronavirus cases have been reported in India so far, according toHealth Ministry data on Tuesday.

As cases of the viral infection surged, authorities have put almost the entire country under lockdown, banning gathering of people and suspending road, rail, and air traffic till March 31.