GUWAHATI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday, May 22, announced biennial elections to 24 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 States, with polling scheduled to be held on June 18.
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In a statement, the ECI said the elections will be conducted for seats falling vacant due to the retirement of incumbent members between June and July.
According to the poll schedule released by the Commission, the notification for the elections will be issued on June 1, while the last date for filing nominations has been fixed as June 8. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on June 9 and the final date for withdrawal of candidatures is June 11.
Polling will be conducted on June 18 between 9 AM and 4 PM, with counting of votes scheduled for 5 PM on the same day. The election process is expected to be completed by June 20.
The Commission stated that only integrated violet-colour sketch pens provided by Returning Officers will be permitted for marking preferences on ballot papers during the elections.
The ECI also announced bye-elections to two Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu following the resignations of Sunetra Ajit Pawar and C. Ve. Shanmugam respectively earlier this month.
According to the Commission, Sunetra Ajit Pawar resigned from the Maharashtra seat on May 6, while C. Ve. Shanmugam resigned from the Tamil Nadu seat on May 7. The terms for both seats were scheduled to continue until 2028.
The bye-elections for the two vacant seats will also be held on June 18, following the same schedule as the biennial Rajya Sabha elections.
The Commission said adequate monitoring measures, including the appointment of observers, will be put in place to ensure free and fair elections.