NEW DELHI, Sept 22: The Election Commission has announced that elections for 12 Rajya Sabha seats across Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal will be held on October 16. The schedule covers biennial elections for 11 seats and a bypoll for one seat in West Bengal.
The polls will include 10 seats from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand, where the terms of the sitting members are ending. A by-election will also be held for a vacant Rajya Sabha seat in West Bengal.
According to the schedule, the election notification will be issued on September 29, while the last date for filing nominations is October 6. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 7, followed by the withdrawal deadline on October 9.
Polling will be held on October 16 from 9 am to 4 pm, with counting scheduled to begin at 5 pm the same day.
In Uttar Pradesh, the terms of several Rajya Sabha members are ending, including BJP leaders Arun Singh, Geeta Shakya, Neeraj Shekhar, Brij Lal, B.L. Verma, Seema Dwivedi and Hardeep Singh Puri, along with Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav and BSP's Ramji Gautam.
One additional Uttar Pradesh seat, earlier held by former Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, became vacant after his resignation took effect on September 11 following his appointment as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
In Uttarakhand, the term of BJP Rajya Sabha member Naresh Bansal is also coming to an end.
The West Bengal bypoll has been necessitated by the resignation of Rukmini Mallik, also known as actor Koel Mallick. The elected member will serve the remainder of the term, which runs until April 2, 2032.
The Rajya Sabha elections will take place ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for next year, adding significance to the upcoming contest.
