The Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled the election for 12 vacant seats in the Rajya Sabha for September 3. These seats include some previously held by prominent leaders who have now shifted to the Lok Sabha. Among the 10 Rajya Sabha seats that have fallen vacant are those of Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, all of whom were elected to the Lok Sabha.
Besides Goyal, Sonowal and Scindia, the other Rajya Sabha members who won the parliamentary polls and moved to the Lok Sabha are Kamakhya Prasad Tasa (BJP), Misha Bharti (RJD), Vivek Thakur (BJP), Deepender Singh Hooda (Congress), Udayanraje Bhosle (BJP), K C Venugopal (Congress) and Biplab Kumar Deb (BJP).
The ECI has laid out the timeline for the election process, with the official notification set to be issued on August 14. Prospective candidates must file their nomination papers by August 21, marking the deadline for entries into the fray, the EC stated. The separate elections for each Rajya Sabha seat will be held on September 3 and the results will be announced the same day.
List of 12 vacant seats
| STATES | NO. OF VACANT SEATS |
| Maharashtra | 02 |
| Bihar | 02 |
| Assam | 02 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 01 |
| Haryana | 01 |
| Rajasthan | 01 |
| Odisha | 01 |
| Telangana | 01 |
| Tripura | 01 |
EC guidelines for marking on ballot paper
The Election Commission has mandated that only "integrated violet colour sketch pens of pre-fixed specification" provided by the returning officer will be used for marking preferences on the ballot paper. This aims to ensure uniformity and reduces the chances of any discrepancies or tampering during the voting process.
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