India to Hold Biennial Rajya Sabha Elections and By-Elections on June 18

Biennial elections to 24 Rajya Sabha seats from 10 states are to be held on 18 June. Four seats each in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka, three seats each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, two seats in Jharkhand, and one seat each in Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram are falling vacant. On 22 May, the Commission announced the schedule for Rajya Sabha elections. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, Union Ministers George Kurien, and Ravneet Singh are among the members whose terms end next month. According to the advertisement, the notification will be issued on 1 June and voting will take place on 18 June. Counting of votes will also take place on the same day. The Commission also announced Rajya Sabha by-elections for one seat each in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. These seats have fallen vacant following the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sunetra Ajit Pawar and AIADMK MP CV Shanmugam, who were recently elected to the state legislative assembly. By-elections will also be held on 18 June, besides some in Bihar, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram.