EC issues notification for 27 Rajya Sabha seats; Kharge, Kurian likely to file nominations

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Monday issued the formal notification for elections to 27 Rajya Sabha seats spread across 13 states, scheduled for June 18. According to the poll schedule, the last date for filing nominations is June 8.

The upcoming biennial polls will see contests for four seats each in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka, three each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and two in Jharkhand. Additionally, single seats will go to the polls in Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram.

Bypolls will also be held parallelly to fill two specific vacancies: the Maharashtra seat vacated by NCP leader Sunetra Pawar following her appointment as Deputy Chief Minister, and the Tamil Nadu seat left vacant by C.V. Shanmugam after his recent election to the state Legislative Assembly.

In Karnataka, where four members are completing their tenures, Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House, Mallikarjun Kharge, is virtually certain to be renominated by his party for another term.

Eyes on Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan lineups

Political circles are closely watching Madhya Pradesh, where three seats are up for grabs. One of these positions is currently held by Union Minister of State George Kurian. Sources indicate that Kurian, who hails from Kerala, is highly likely to be fielded again by the BJP. While the arithmetic in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly allows the Congress to comfortably secure one seat, party insiders admit to lingering anxieties over potential cross-voting. Notably, veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has opted out of the race this time.

Meanwhile, in Rajasthan, high-level discussions are underway for the three vacant seats. The Congress is considering pushing either former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot or AICC media chairperson Pawan Khera into the fray for the single seat the party can realistically win.

Over in Gujarat, the ruling BJP is comfortably positioned to sweep all four seats uncontested, given its overwhelming majority in the state assembly.