NEW DELHI : Election Commission (EC) on Monday announced elections to 18 Rajya Sabha seats to take place on 19 June.
This includes four seats each from Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two from Jharkhand and one each from Manipur and Meghalaya.
The elections are significant not just because it will be the first such electoral process ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country but also because these 18 seats are part of the 55 Rajya Sabha seats which fell vacant earlier this year.
Out of these 55 seats, 37 were filled uncontested and elections for the remaining had to be postponed due to the pandemic. Elections to these 18 Rajya Sabha seats will be [politically crucial as it