New Delhi: Election Commission Announces Date Of Rajya Sabha Elections To 56 Seats From 15 States

NEW DELHI: The dates for the Rajya Sabha elections to 56 seats from 15 states of India has been released by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The ECI announced that the elections for the membership of the Upper House of the Parliament will be held on 27 February.

The states where the elections for the Rajya Sabha are scheduled to take place are 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).

It is to be noted that the Rajya Sabha happens to be the permanent house of the parliament in which its members are appointed for a tenure of six years.

One-third of the members retire every two years, which ensures the continuity of its proceedings.

The tenure of the 50 Rajya Sabha members is scheduled to end on 2 April while the term of the remaining six will end on 3 April.

Meanwhile, in the current 238 member Rajya Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds the largest number of seats at 93, followed by Congress at 30, Trinamool Congress (TMC) with 13 seats, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) with 10 seats, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) with 10 seats and so on.

Moreover, as many as 12 members are being nominated by the President to the Upper House of Parliament for their contributions to arts, literature, sciences, and social services.

Often regarded as the 'House of Elders', the Rajya Sabha plays a vital role in the parliamentary form of democracy.

The Rajya Sabha bears the crucial responsibility of scrutinizing the bills passed by the Lok Sabha, the ‘House of People’, and giving recommendations as it deems necessary.

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