In a significant announcement, the Election Commission of India (ECI) revealed on Monday that the Rajya Sabha elections for 56 seats spanning 15 states are scheduled to take place on February 27. The Rajya Sabha, known for its six-year term for its members, experiences a phased retirement of one-third of its members every two years to ensure a continuous and dynamic legislative process.
The impending retirement of 50 Rajya Sabha members from 13 states is set for April 2, while the remaining six members hailing from two states are slated to retire on April 3. The states where these crucial elections are to be held include Uttar Pradesh (10), Maharashtra (6), Bihar (6), West Bengal (5), Madhya Pradesh (5), Gujarat (4), Karnataka (4), Andhra Pradesh (3), Telangana (3), Rajasthan (3), Odisha (3), Uttarakhand (1), Chhattisgarh (1), Haryana (1), and Himachal Pradesh (1).
Rajya Sabha Elections 2024 Schedule
- Issue of notifications: February 8
- Last date of making nominations: February 15
- Scrutiny of nominations: February 16
- Last date for withdrawal of candidatures: February 20
- Date of poll: February 27
- Hours of poll: 9 am – 4 pm
- Counting of votes: February 27 at 5 pm
- Date before which elections shall be completed: February 29
The Rajya Sabha, with its members enjoying a six-year term, operates as a permanent body, ensuring the stability and continuity of the legislative process. Elected indirectly by the members of the State Legislative Assemblies, the upper house members are chosen through a system of proportional representation using a single transferable vote.
Voting Process Unveiled
In the voting process, the ballot paper of each Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) includes preferences corresponding to the number of candidates to be elected. MLAs express their choices by marking preferences against candidate names. A candidate who secures the required quota of votes in the initial round is declared elected. If not, the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated, and their votes are transferred to remaining candidates based on preferences indicated by the MLAs. This iterative process continues until all vacancies are satisfactorily filled.
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