56 Rajya Sabha seats in 15 states to go to polls on February 27

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced that 56 seats of Rajya Sabha from 15 states will go to polls on February 27.

The term of office for 50 Rajya Sabha members from 13 states is set to conclude on April 2, while the remaining six members from two states are due to retire on April 3.

The states where the Rajya Sabha polls are slated to take place include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.

The term of office for a member of the Rajya Sabha is six years.

One-third of the members of the Rajya Sabha, a permanent body, retire every two years, ensuring continuity in the functioning of the house.

Members of the upper house of the Parliament, are elected indirectly by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies. They are elected through a system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.