EC announces elections for 27 Rajya Sabha seats in 13 states

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced elections to 27 seats in the Rajya Sabha, including biennial polls and by-elections, along with elections to State Legislative Councils in Bihar and Karnataka.

Elections will be held for 24 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant due to the retirement of members from 10 states, while by-elections will be conducted for one seat each in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, according to a statement issued by the ECI.

The biennial Rajya Sabha elections will take place in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Mizoram.

The Commission also announced biennial elections to nine seats in the Bihar Legislative Council and seven seats in the Karnataka Legislative Council, both elected by Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs). A by-election will also be held for one Legislative Council seat in Bihar.

The filing of nominations for all the elections commenced at 11 am on Monday. Candidates can submit their nomination papers until June 8, with the deadline set at 3 pm.

Scrutiny of nominations will be conducted on June 9, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 11.

In the event of contests, polling for all the elections will be held on June 18 between 8 am and 4 pm. Counting of votes will begin at 5 pm on the same day.

The Election Commission said it has issued the necessary notifications and appointed Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers for the elections. Details of the appointments have been published in the Gazette of India and the respective State Gazettes.