The Election Commissioned announced on Friday that it will hold biennial elections on March 23 to the Council of States, to replace the 58 Rajya Sabha members who will retire in April and May this year.
The Election Commission will also hold bye-elections to the Council of States from Kerala, as its MP Veerendra Kumar resigned from the Rajya Sabha in December. His term was due to expire only in April 2022.
The terms of the 58 Rajya Sabha members from 16 states expires in April and May. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of retiring members, at 10, followed by Maharashtra and Bihar (6), Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal (5), Gujarat and Karnataka (4), Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Rajasthan (3), Jharkhand (2), and Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand (1).
The poll panel said March 12 will be the last day to file nominations, and that votes will be counted on the day of the polls.
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