Biennial elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states will be held on March 16, the Election Commission said on Wednesday. The seats are falling vacant on different dates in April.
The states where seats are due to fall vacant include Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar.
According to the Commission’s press note, the election process will begin with the issue of notifications on February 26. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, while scrutiny will take place on March 6. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until March 9.
Polling is scheduled for March 16 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting set for 5 pm on the same day.
The Election Commission said the 37 retiring members belong to Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana. It added that observers would be appointed and specific ballot-marking guidelines would be followed to ensure the elections are conducted in a free and fair manner.
