The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the schedule for Rajya Sabha by-elections to fill three vacant seats from West Bengal, with polling set to take place on July 24.
The vacancies arose following the resignations of Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik. The Election Commission issued the official notification on Monday, setting the electoral process in motion.
According to the poll schedule, the official notification will be issued on July 7, while July 14 is the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on July 15, and candidates will have until July 17 to withdraw their nominations.
Polling, if required, will be held on July 24 between 9 am and 4 pm, with the counting of votes scheduled to begin at 5 pm on the same day. The Commission has directed that the entire election process be completed by July 27.
Vacancies Follow High-Profile Resignations
The bypolls come in the wake of a series of resignations from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following the party's defeat in the recent Assembly elections. Several leaders, MPs, MLAs and local representatives have either resigned from party posts or switched political camps.
The first major resignation came from Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who stepped down as Rajya Sabha MP on June 8, citing dissatisfaction within the party.
"I had been sidelined in the party for a long time. I was waiting for the right time," Roy had said after resigning from both the Rajya Sabha and the Trinamool Congress.
Two days later, on June 10, Sushmita Dev resigned from both the Rajya Sabha and the TMC. Her resignation triggered political speculation after photographs of her meeting Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma surfaced shortly afterwards.
On June 11, Prakash Chik Baraik also resigned from his Rajya Sabha seat, creating the third vacancy.
The July 24 bypolls will determine who fills these three vacant seats in the Upper House of Parliament, making the election politically significant amid shifting equations in West Bengal's political landscape.
