With three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi retiring next month, the Election Commission on December 22 announced polls to fill the vacancies on January 16.
The EC also said that the bypoll for the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha vacated by Manohar Parrikar after assuming charge as the Goa Chief Minister will also be held on the same date. Mr. Parrikar’s term in the Upper House was to end on November 25, 2020.
Rajya Sabha member from Sikkim Hishey Lachungpa (Sikim Democratic Front) is retiring on February 23, 2018. An election to fill that vacancy will also be held on January 16.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi was allocated three seats in the Rajya Sabha and these are currently being held by Karan Singh, Janardan Dwivedi and Parvez Hashmi (all Congress). Their term is ending on January 27, 2018.
The EC said the three Delhi seats would be filled by holding three separate elections as each of these vacancies fell under three different cycles which were determined at the time of the initial constitution of the Rajya Sabha in 1952. It said that the Delhi High Court in 1994 dismissed a petition filed against holding separate elections for the three seats.
The notification to hold elections for the the five seats — three in Delhi and one each in U.P. and Sikkim — will be issued on December 29. Voting and counting will be held on January 16.
