By-elections to six Rajya Sabha seats on July 5: EC

The Election Commission on Saturday announced by-elections to six Rajya Sabha seats on July 5 which fell vacant as the sitting members were elected to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies in the April-May 2019 elections.

The seats include two from Gujarat, that held by BJP President Amit Shah, who won the state's Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, and Union Minister Smriti Irani who defeated Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

The other four seats have fallen vacant after Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar and Achyutananda Samanta from Odisha got elected to the Lok Sabha, while Pratap Keshari Deb and Soumya Ranjan Patnaik won the Odisha Assembly elections, held simultaneously with those of the Lok Sabha.

According to a press note from the Election Commission, the filing of nominations will begin on June 18 and go on to June 25. The candidatures could be withdrawn up to June 28.

The polling will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 5 and the counting will be conducted on the same day. The election process shall be completed by July 9, the Election Commission saidd.

--IANS

desai/vd