Rajya Sabha polls for 26 seats on June 18, terms of Kharge and Deve Gowda ending
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The Election Commission has announced elections for 26 Rajya Sabha seats across eight states, with polling scheduled for June 18.
The vacancies include 24 regular retirements and two bypolls triggered by resignations.
Several senior political leaders are completing their six-year terms, including former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, Union Minister George Kurian, and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu.
The 24 regular vacancies are spread across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Mizoram.
In Andhra Pradesh, four YSRCP-backed members, including Ayodhya Rami Reddy Alla and Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose, are retiring.
Gujarat will see four seats fall vacant, including those held by BJP MPs and Congress leader Gohil Shaktisinhji Harichandrasinhji.
In Karnataka, the retiring members include Deve Gowda and Kharge, along with BJP MPs Narayana Koragappa and Iranna Kadadi.
The Election Commission also announced bypolls for two Rajya Sabha seats.
One bypoll is for the Maharashtra seat vacated by Sunetra Pawar after her election to the state Assembly from Baramati.
The second bypoll is for the Tamil Nadu seat vacated by Ve. Shanmugam.
Political focus is now turning to Tamil Nadu, where speculation continues over whether Vijay and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam will seek their first Rajya Sabha entry or support a Congress-backed candidate.
