New Delhi : The Election Commission on Wednesday announced elections for 37 Rajya Sabha seats. Voting will be held on March 16 and the counting of votes will take place the same evening. Among the prominent leaders whose terms are ending this time are Sharad Pawar, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, TMC leader Saket Gokhale, and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh.
Which states are these seats from?
A total of 37 Rajya Sabha seats from 10 states are falling vacant. The highest number is from Maharashtra with seven seats. Tamil Nadu has six seats, Odisha four, West Bengal five, Assam three, Bihar five, Chhattisgarh two, Telangana two, and Himachal Pradesh one seat becoming vacant.
According to the election schedule, the notification will be issued on February 26. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, scrutiny will take place on March 6, and the last date for withdrawal of nominations has been fixed as March 9.
Voting will be held on March 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the counting of votes will begin at 5 p.m. The entire election process will be completed by March 20.
The Election Commission has also issued guidelines regarding the voting process. To mark preferences on the ballot paper, only the designated purple sketch pen provided by the Returning Officer must be used. The use of any other pen will not be considered valid.
The Commission has stated that observers will be appointed to ensure that the elections are conducted in a fair and transparent manner. The results of the election will depend on the current strength of political parties in the respective state legislative assemblies, and this may lead to limited changes in the composition of the Rajya Sabha.