New Delhi (NVI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) today announced November 9 as the date for elections to 11 Rajya Sabha seats. The votes polled will be counted on the same day, EC’s notification confirmed.
The election is mandated as the term of Rajya Sabha members, 10 from Uttar Pradesh and one from Uttarakhand, is set to expire on November 25.
As per the commission’s notification, the Rajya Sabha elections have to be completed before November 11. The notification also states that the Commission has decided to hold biennial elections to the Council of States from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to fill up the vacancies.
The MPs whose terms are expiring, include Chandrapal Singh Yadav, Javed Ali Khan, Arun Singh, Neeraj Shekhar, PL Punia, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Ravi Prakash Verma, Rajaram, Ramgopal Yadav, Veer Singh from Uttar Prades and Raj Babbar.
The commission has also directed that for the purpose of marking preference’s on the ballot paper only integrated violet colour sketch pen(s) of pre-fixed specification, provided by the Returning Officer, shall be used.
“No other pen shall, under any circumstances, be used in the above said elections,” it added.
Meanwhile, the chief secretaries concerned to depute a senior officer from the State to ensure that the extant instructions regarding COVID-19 containment measures are complied with while making arrangements for conducting the elections, EC said.
-RJV
