Polls to 10 RS seats on Aug 8

The Election Commission will hold polling to fill up 10 vacancies in the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh on August 8.

The election will be held as the current term of three Gujarat MPs — Ahmed Patel from Congress, and Dilipbhai Shivshankarbhai Pandya and Smriti Irani of the BJP — will end on August 18.

Terms of six West Bengal MPs, including Derek O’Brien of Trinamool Congress and Sitaram Yechury of the CPM, will also end on the same day.

Besides, a vacancy was created from Madhya Pradesh by the death of BJP’s Anil Madhav Dave, who was the minister of state for environment, on May 18 this year.

The poll panel will issue the notification on July 21 and the candidates will be allowed to file nominations till July 28. The last date for withdrawal of nominations will be July 31, a release said.