Lucknow: The Election Commission of India on Tuesday announced the schedule for the biennial elections to 10 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh and one seat from Uttarakhand.
The notification will be issued on Sept 29, while the last date for filing nominations is Oct 6. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on Oct 7 and candidates may withdraw their nominations until Oct 9. The election process is scheduled to be completed by Oct 19. Eight out of 10 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant on Nov 25 are currently held by BJP, while one each is held by SP and BSP. The elections assume significance in Uttar Pradesh as the BJP and opposition seek to mobilise their respective strengths in the Assembly to shape the composition of the 10 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant.
As a result, the Mayawati ’s party will lose its remaining presence in Rajya Sabha. The eight BJP MPs completing their tenure are Dinesh Sharma, Seema Dwivedi, Neeraj Shekhar, Arun Singh, BL Verma, Geeta Shakya, Hardeep Singh Puri and Brij Lal. Sharma has already resigned from the Upper House following his appointment as the 14th Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. BSP, which currently has no representation in Uttar Pradesh Assembly, will be unable to get any candidate elected. BSP also has no representation in Lok Sabha.