Rajya Sabha elections annouced across 10 states: Date, retiring MPs, number of seats; all you need to know

THe Election charge on fri proclaimed elections to 24 Rajya Sabha seats crossways 10 states on June 18. The displace follows the retirement of several sitting members, including former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Digvijaya Singh.According to the EC, the seats will fall vacant between June 21 and July 19, during which the elections will be conducted. The last date for filing nominations is June 8.The elections will be held for four seats each in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, three seats each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two in Jharkhand, and one seat each in Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.Among those retiring are Gowda and Congress president Kharge (both from Karnataka), Union ministers Ravneet Singh (Rajasthan) and George Kurian (Madhya Pradesh), former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh, and Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil, among others.In Rajasthan, Rajya Sabha members Ravneet Singh, Neeraj Dangi (Congress) and Rajendra Gehlot (BJP) are among those completing their terms.Rajasthan has 10 Rajya Sabha seats, with the BJP and Congress currently holding five each. Based on the present strength of the 200-member state Assembly, the BJP is expected to win two of the three seats, while the Congress is likely to secure one, news agency PTI reported.Bypolls in Maharashtra and Tamil NaduThe EC also announced bypolls for one seat each for the council of states from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.In Maharashtra, the seat fell vacant after the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, who has since been elected to the state Assembly.TDP-led NDA to win all four RS seatsAccording to PTI, the TDP-led NDA is projected to win all four Rajya Sabha seats in the upcoming elections. Several members from the southern state are set to retire, including A Ayodhya Rami Reddy, P Subhaschandra Bose and S Satish Babu.Of the retiring members, Reddy, Nathwani Parimal and Bose are from the YSRCP, while Babu represents the ruling TDP. At present, YSRCP holds seven Rajya Sabha seats, whereas TDP has two. These numbers are expected to shift after the June 18 elections.Sources indicate that the TDP may contest two Rajya Sabha seats, while its allies BJP and Janasena are likely to be allotted one seat each.In the state Assembly, TDP has 135 MLAs, followed by Janasena with 21 and BJP with 8, while YSRCP has 11 legislators.