Bengal: By-elections for 3 Rajya Sabha seats on July 24
What's the story
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that by-elections will be held for three Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal on July 24. The seats were vacated after rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik resigned in June. The resignations came after they questioned the party leadership's decisions following its defeat in the assembly polls.
Bypoll timeline
ECI issues detailed schedule for by-elections
The ECI has issued a detailed schedule for the by-elections. The notification will be issued on July 7, with the last date for filing nominations being July 14. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on July 15, and candidates can withdraw their nominations till July 17. Voting will take place on July 24 from 9:00am to 4:00pm followed by the counting of votes at 5:00pm the same day.
Political shift
BJP's landslide victory in West Bengal assembly polls
The by-elections come after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a landslide victory in the West Bengal assembly polls. This win is likely to increase their numbers in the Rajya Sabha after these three bypolls. The ECI has the discretion to announce bypolls within six months of a seat falling vacant, which they have done in this case.