By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Elections to fill 13 Rajya Sabha seats across six states which will fall vacant in April, including those of Congress veteran leaders A K Antony and Anand Sharma, will be held on March 31, the Election Commission said on Monday.
While members from the state of Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Nagaland and Tripura are retiring on April 2, five members from Punjab are retiring 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 Election Commission said in a statement.
The notification for the biennial elections will be issued on March 14 and the polls will be held on March 31. As per established practice, the counting will be held on the day of polling from 5 pm onwards. Prominent among the members who are retiring are Antony (Kerala), Sharma (Himachal Pradesh), and Pratap Singh Bajwa and Naresh Gujral (Punjab). While former defence minister Antony, Deputy Leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha Sharma and Bajwa are from the Congress, Gujaral is from the Shiromani Akali Dal.
