KOLKATA: Biennial elections for 10 Rajya Sabha seats will take place on July 24 following Covid-19 guidelines, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced.
Out of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats due to elections, six are from West Bengal, three from Gujarat, and one from Goa. Their terms will end between July and August.
Among the six Rajya Sabha seats in West Bengal, five belong to the Trinamool Congress, namely Derek O’Brien, Dola Sen, Sushmita Dev, Shanta Chhetri, and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray. The sole Rajya Sabha seat of the Congress in West Bengal, held by Pradip Bhattacharya, will also expire on August 18, 2023.
ALSO READ: 2021 once again: Ahead of election, Mamata suffers injuries
In Gujarat, three upper house seats currently held by Dineshchandra Jemalbhai Anavadiya, Lokhandwala Jugalsinh Mathurji, and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Krishnaswamy will end on August 08, 2023.
The sole Rajya Sabha seat in Goa, currently held by Vinay D Tendulkar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is also set to expire.
The notification for the elections will be issued on July 6, and the last date for nominations will be July 13. Scrutiny of nominations and the last date for withdrawal of nominations will be on July 14 and 17, respectively.
The polling will take place on July 24 from 9 am to 4 pm, followed by the counting of votes, which will begin at 5 pm, one hour after polling ends.
ALSO READ: BSF rejects Mamata’s ‘they intimidate voters’ claim
Additionally, a by-election will be held on July 24 for a vacant seat in West Bengal, which was created after the resignation of Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Luizinho Faleiro on April 11.
According to TMC sources, while the party will nominate a fresh candidate to replace Faleiro, there are also discussions about introducing another new name on the list to replace one of the existing members.
The Election Commission stated that the broad guidelines for Covid-19 will be followed during the entire election process. The commission has directed the chief secretaries concerned to assign a senior officer from the state to ensure compliance with the Covid-19 containment measures while making arrangements for conducting these biennial elections.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
