New Delhi: The Central Election Commission has announced the date for by-elections to two vacant Rajya Sabha seats. The by-poll will be held on the 26th of this month in two Rajya Sabha seats. According to the Commission, polling will be held from 9 am to 4 pm on 26th August and counting will begin at 5 PM on the same day. The notification will be issued on the 7th of august. Nominations will be held till the 14th of this month. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on the 16th of this month and the last date for withdrawal is 19th of this month. In Rajasthan, the two seats have been vacated following the death of Madan Lal Saini of bjp and the resignation of SP's Neeraj Shekhar in Uttar Pradesh.

Neeraj Shekhar from UP is believed to be the BJP candidate while the Congress from Rajasthan is thinking in the name of former PM Manmohan Singh. Madan Lal Saini, a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan and former president of the BJP's state unit, died on June 24. In Uttar Pradesh, Neeraj Shekhar, Rajya Sabha member of Samajwadi Party and son of former Prime Minister Chandrasekhar, resigned from his Rajya Sabha membership on July 15. This had vacated his seat.

He later joined the BJP. The Election Commission has announced by-elections in both the seats. In the Rajya Sabha, five posts of 245 members are running vacant, requiring 121 members for a majority. At present, the total number of NDA, Independent and nominated members, including the BJP, is 116. Two days ago, senior Congress leader Sanjay Singh also resigned from the Rajya Sabha and got BJP membership. It is clear that the NDA has walked just two steps away from the majority in the Upper House.

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