Shillong, May 29 (IANS) Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr B.D.R. Tiwari said on Friday that polling for the election to one Rajya Sabha seat from the state will be held on June 18, with vote counting scheduled later the same day.

The announcement was made after a meeting convened by the CEO with representatives of various political parties at the Main Secretariat Building in Shillong to brief them on the election process and statutory requirements.

According to the election schedule, the official notification for the Rajya Sabha election will be issued on June 1, while June 8 has been fixed as the last date for filing nominations.

Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9, and candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations till June 11.

Polling will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 18, followed by counting of votes at 5 p.m. the same day.

The entire election process is expected to be completed before June 20.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Dr Tiwari said political parties were given detailed presentations on the election schedule, nomination procedures, method of voting, counting process and legal compliances to be followed by candidates and parties.

Election officials informed party representatives about the mandatory submission of nomination papers, including Form 2C, affidavits in Form 26, security deposits, oath or affirmation requirements, and Forms AA and BB for party-sponsored candidates. Provisions related to Forms C1 to C8 were also explained during the session.

Special emphasis was laid on compliance with Supreme Court directives and Election Commission guidelines regarding the publication of criminal antecedents of candidates by both candidates and political parties.

Officials also explained the system of election through proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote and the open ballot voting procedure under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Political parties were informed that MLAs belonging to a political party must show their marked ballot paper only to the authorised agent of their own party, while Independent MLAs are prohibited from showing their ballot papers to any agent.

Representatives of political parties interacted with election officials and sought clarifications on various aspects of the election process.

The lone Rajya Sabha seat allotted to Meghalaya is set to fall vacant as the incumbent Member of Parliament, Dr Wanweiroy Kharlukhi, completes his six-year term in late June 2026.

In view of the impending vacancy, the Election Commission of India has scheduled the biennial election to the seat on June 18, 2026.

Dr Kharlukhi, who represents the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), has reportedly expressed his desire to step away from active parliamentary politics after the completion of his tenure.

The NPP is expected to comfortably retain the seat, given its clear majority in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly

–IANS

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