Bypolls to six vacant Rajya Sabha seats in four states to be held on Dec 20

Bypolls to six vacancies in Rajya Sabha across four states will be held on December 20, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday.

Three vacancies were created in Andhra Pradesh when YSRCP members Venkataramana Rao Mopidevi, Beedha Masthan Rao Yadav and Ryaga Krishnaiah had quit their membership in August. The terms of Yadav and Krishnaiah as Rajya Sabha members were to end on June 21, 2028, while Mopidevi was to retire on 21 June, 2026.

A vacancy occurred in Odisha when Sujeet Kumar quit his seat following which he was expelled by the Biju Janata Dal. His term was to end on April 2, 2026.

Jawhar Sircar of the TMC had resigned in April following the rape-murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata, creating a vacancy in the state. He was otherwise to retire in April 2026.

Krishan Lal Panwar of the BJP had quit his Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana following his election as an MLA in the recent state polls.

After the recent assembly polls, TDP in Andhra Pradesh and BJP in Odisha will have an upper hand in the Rajya Sabha bypolls. While the TMC rules West Bengal, the BJP had retained Haryana.