NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced the schedule for conducting biennial polls to eight Rajya Sabha seats from Tamil Nadu and Assam. The voting for the same will be held on June 19 and the results will be declared on the same day.
The biennial elections are being held as the terms of eight members of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha), representing the two states, are set to expire between June and July, the poll panel said in an official statement.
From Assam, two seats will fall vacant with the retirement of Mission Ranjan Das and Birendra Prasad Baishya, both of whom will demit office on June 14.
In Tamil Nadu, six Rajya Sabha members, Anbumani Ramadoss, M Shanmugam, N Chandrasegharan, M Mohamed Abdulla, P Wilson and Vaiko, are retiring on July 24.
According to the ECI statement, the notification for holding the elections will be issued on June 2, while the last date for filing nominations is June 9. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on June 10, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 12.
In the statement, the ECI has emphasised the use of only the violet sketch pens of a pre-fixed specification, provided by the Returning Officer, for marking preferences on the ballot paper. Use of any other pen will not be permitted under any circumstances.
To ensure a free and fair election, the poll panel said that observers will be appointed to closely monitor the election process.