Digital Desk: The Election Commission said on Monday that elections would be held on March 31 to fill 13 Rajya Sabha seats across six states that will become vacant in April, including those held by Congress stalwarts A K Antony and Anand Sharma. While members from Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Nagaland, and Tripura retire on April 2, five Punjab members retire on April 9.
"Out of the five seats to be filled from Punjab, three are to be filled by holding one election and other two through another election as these seats belong to two different biennial cycles," the Commission said in a statement.
The biannual elections will be announced on March 14, and the votes will be held on March 31. The counting will begin at 5 p.m. on the election day, as is customary.
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Among the retiring members are Antony (Kerala), Sharma (Himachal Pradesh), Pratap Singh Bajwa, and Naresh Gujral (Punjab). Gujaral is a Shiromani Akali Dal member, whereas former defence minister Antony, Deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha Sharma, and Bajwa are all members of the Congress.
The Punjab Rajya Sabha nominations will be determined by the performance of the state's political parties in the February 20 assembly elections.
During the state's Congress administration, there has been no vacancy in the last five years. While five seats are up for grabs in Punjab, three are up for grabs in Kerala, two in Assam, and one in each of HP, Nagaland, and Tripura.
