India sets Council of States polls June 18

The Election Commission of India on Friday set June 18 for biennial elections to 24 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states, starting the process to fill vacancies created by members retiring in June and July. The poll panel said nominations will open on June 1 and close on June 8, with scrutiny on June 9 and the withdrawal deadline on June 11. Voting will take place in the respective state assemblies from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and counting will begin at 5 p.m. the same day. The commission said the full process will be completed by June 20. ### Which chamber is being elected here, and who votes? The Rajya Sabha is India’s upper house of parliament, also known as the Council of States, and its members are elected indirectly rather than by the public at large. The electorate for these polls consists of elected members of the concerned state legislative assemblies, not general voters. (truescoopnews.com) The Election Commission says the voting will be conducted with ballot papers rather than electronic voting machines. MLAs must mark their preferences using the “integrated violet colour sketch pens” supplied by the returning officer, according to the poll instructions reported by Indian media citing the commission schedule. (truescoopnews.com) ### Which states are voting, and how many seats are at stake in each? Ten states will take part in the June 18 exercise. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka will each elect four members, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will each elect three, Jharkhand will elect two, and Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram will each elect one. (indianexpress.com) The 24 seats are falling vacant because the terms of sitting members are ending between June 21 and July 19, the Election Commission said in its announcement as reported by domestic outlets. Among the outgoing members are Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda from Karnataka, according to the state-wise list carried by Indian Express. (newindianexpress.com) ### Why are these elections happening now? June and July retirements trigger biennial Rajya Sabha elections because the chamber is a continuing body and members retire in batches rather than all at once. The Election Commission’s current schedule covers seats becoming vacant in that cycle across the 10 states. (newindianexpress.com) One Jharkhand seat in the mix is the one held by late former chief minister Shibu Soren, which has remained vacant since August 4, 2025, according to reporting that cited the commission’s state list. ### What is the timetable from here? June 1 is the date for issuing notifications for the elections, and June 8 is the last day for candidates to file nominations. (truescoopnews.com) Scrutiny is scheduled for June 9, and candidates can withdraw until June 11. June 18 is polling day, with voting set from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the state assemblies and counting to begin at 5 p.m. (truescoopnews.com) The Election Commission has set June 20 as the date by which the election process must be completed. ### Were any other elections announced alongside these polls? (truescoopnews.com) The Election Commission also announced by-elections to one Rajya Sabha seat each in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, according to Indian Express. The Maharashtra vacancy followed the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Sunetra Ajit Pawar on May 6, while the Tamil Nadu seat was vacated by the resignation of C. (truescoopnews.com) Ve. Shanmugam on May 7, the report said. June 18 is therefore the next key date for both the biennial Rajya Sabha contests and those two by-elections, with results to emerge from counting that begins that evening and the formal process closing on June 20. (truescoopnews.com) (indianexpress.com)