Rajya Sabha elections: Polls for 18 seats scheduled on June 19

New Delhi: Elections to fill 18 vacancies in the Rajya Sabha will be held on June 19. The Election Commission announced the schedule for elections in 7 states beginning from 9 AM to 4 PM while the counting will take place same day at 5 PM.

The 18 seats are spread across Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Meghalaya.

The Election Commission has also decided to ask Chief Secretaries to depute a senior officer from the state to ensure that the instructions regarding COVID-19 containment measures are followed. The ECI has also appointed Chief Electoral Officers as observers for upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in their respective states.

The election to fill up 55 seats in the Upper House of Parliament was to be held on March 26, but 37 candidates have already been elected without a contest.

The election dates were deferred by ECI in view on coronavirus outbreak and now have been rescheduled on June 19.
Now, as the lockdown is being uplifted in a phased manner, the poll body has decided June 19 for these seats.