Elections for 24 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states on June 18, announces EC

The Election Commission on Friday announced elections for 24 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states on June 18 following the retirement of several sitting members, including former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Digvijay Singh. The Commission also announced bypolls for one Rajya Sabha seat each from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. According to the schedule, the last date for filing nominations is June 8, while counting of votes will take place on June 18 itself.

In an official statement, the Election Commission said the biennial elections will be conducted for seats becoming vacant between June 21 and July 19 due to the completion of terms of incumbent members. Polling will take place for four seats each in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, three seats each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two seats in Jharkhand, and one seat each in Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.

Among the Rajya Sabha members completing their terms are former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge from Karnataka, Union ministers Ravneet Singh from Rajasthan and George Kurian from Madhya Pradesh, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh and Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil. The Election Commission stated that the notification for the elections will be issued on June 1.

The Election Commission also announced bypolls for one Rajya Sabha seat each in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In Maharashtra, the vacancy arose after Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar resigned from the Upper House following her election to the state assembly. In Tamil Nadu, the vacancy was created after AIADMK member C V Shanmugam was elected to the state assembly.

According to the election schedule released by the Commission, scrutiny of nominations will take place after the filing deadline, while polling and counting for both the biennial elections and the bypolls will be conducted on June 18. The Commission said the process for filling all vacant seats will be completed in accordance with the prescribed election rules and timelines.