The EC said that 37 seats across 10 states will be conducted on March 16, as the terms of the sitting members expire, and released the schedule for the Rajya Sabha polls.
According to the Commission’s schedule, the election notification will be issued on February 26, marking the formal start of the process. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, while scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 6.
Candidates may withdraw their nominations until March 9. Polling is slated for March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, with vote counting scheduled for 5 pm on the same day.
The entire election process is expected to conclude by March 20, the ECI said.
Ten states scheduled for Rajya Sabha polls
The seats going to polls are from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana. The Commission has also laid down specific voting instructions for the elections.
Read more: I-PAC raids: SC adjourns ED’s plea against ‘interference’ by Mamata Banerjee to March 18
“The Commission has directed that only integrated violet colour sketch pen(s) of pre-fixed specification, provided by the Returning Officer, shall be used for the purpose of marking preference(s) on the ballot paper. No other pen shall be used for marking preferences in the above said elections,” the EC said in a statement.
It added that observers will be appointed and other measures will be put in place to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free and fair manner.
How a Rajya Sabha member is elected
The Rajya Sabha, or the Upper House of the Parliament, has a strength of 245 members, of whom 233 are elected and 12 are nominated by the President of India.
Members are chosen using a proportional representation system. The number of votes required for victory depends on the number of vacancies and the strength of the legislative assembly concerned.
A candidate must secure a minimum quota of preference votes to win a seat.
Indian citizens aged 30 years or above are eligible to contest, subject to other qualifications prescribed by Parliament.
Read more: SC quashes Allahabad HC’s ‘breaking pyjama string, grabbing breasts not attempt to rape’ ruling
Members are elected for a six-year term, while those chosen in by-elections serve the remainder of the vacant term.
