New Delhi: Elections for 24 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states will take place on June 18, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Friday.
The states that will elect MPs to be sent to the Rajya Sabha are Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Mizoram.
While 23 seats will fall vacant after retirement of members in June and July this year, one is already lying empty after the death of JMM member Shibu Soren on August 4, 2025.
Notifications for the elections will be issued on June 1, while the last date for filing nominations is June 8, as per the poll schedule released by the ECI. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on June 9, and candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations till June 11.
Voting will take place on June 18 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting of votes scheduled for 5 pm on the same day. The entire election process is expected to be completed by June 20.
Only integrated violet-coloured sketch pens of a pre-fixed specification, supplied by the Returning Officer, will be permitted for marking preferences on ballot papers, the Commission has said. Use of any other pen will not be allowed.
Observers would be deployed for close monitoring of the electoral process to ensure free and fair elections, the ECI said.
H D Deve Gowda, Mallikarjun Kharge and Digvijaya Singh are among the prominent leaders retiring from the Upper House.
While Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand will elect multiple MPs each, there are single seats from Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.
