Ranit Kr. Singh , New Delhi - The Election Commission on Friday announced that elections for 24 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states will be held on June 18, following the upcoming retirement of several sitting members between June 21 and July 19. The last date for filing nominations is June 8. The polls will cover four seats each in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka; three each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan; two in Jharkhand; and one seat each in Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram. Additionally, the EC announced bypolls for one seat each in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu following vacancies, including the resignation of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar after her election to the state Assembly.

Prominent leaders set to retire include former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh, Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil, and Union ministers Ravneet Singh and George Kurian. Political shifts are anticipated across various assemblies based on current configurations. In Rajasthan, where the BJP and Congress each hold five of the 10 seats, the BJP is expected to win two of the three polling seats while Congress secures one. Meanwhile, in Andhra Pradesh, the TDP-led NDA is projected to sweep all four seats due to their dominant assembly strength over the YSRCP, with sources indicating the TDP may contest two seats while allies BJP and Janasena receive one each.

"The seats will fall vacant between June 21 and July 19, during which the elections will be conducted," the Election Commission stated in its official announcement regarding the schedule. "The last date for filing nominations is June 8," the poll body added, outlines the critical timeline for political parties to finalize their candidates.