Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced elections on June 19 to fill 18 Rajya Sabha seats in 7 states around India. Polling will be done from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on this date, and counting of votes will commence at 5:00 pm.
The Election Commission has 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 elections on these 18 Rajya Sabha seats were to be held in March earlier this year, but were deferred by the ECI in view of the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent nationwide lockdown. With Centre planning to lift the lockdown in a phased manner across the country, the Commission has decided to hold the polls for these seats.
Elections will be held for 4 Rajya Sabha seats each from Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two seats from Jharkhand, and 1 seat each from Manipur and Meghalaya. Elections for these seats will have to be completed by June 22.
The ECI, in an earlier press note, had specified that the list of contesting candidates already published for the Rajya Sabha election by the respective Returning Officers will remain valid for the purpose of remaining activities.
ALSO READ: Infosys to cut multiple senior roles, ensure faster decision-making
ALSO READ: Coronavirus vaccine: Pfizer CEO claims COVID-19 medicine could be ready by October-end
ALSO READ: Coronavirus vaccine: Govts brace up for clinical trials; updates from India, China, Russia