Aizawl, June 3 (IANS) Ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) in Mizoram on Wednesday announced that party spokesperson K. Laltluangkima will be its candidate for the June 18 election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the state.

ZPM Vice-President C. Lalnunnema announced the name of K. Laltluangkima as the party’s nominee for the election to the Upper House of Parliament.

The Opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) is yet to announce its candidate for the Rajya Sabha poll. The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which have one and two members, respectively, in the 40-member Mizoram Assembly, are unlikely to field candidates for the upcoming election.

At present, the ZPM has 27 members in the Assembly, while the main Opposition MNF has 10 legislators. The BJP has two MLAs and the Congress has one.

An MNF leader said that the party is likely to announce its candidate soon. The term of outgoing Rajya Sabha member from Mizoram, K. Vanlalvena of the MNF, is set to expire on July 19, 2026.

Elections to 24 Rajya Sabha seats across the country, including four in the Northeastern states, will be held on June 18.

The polls are scheduled for seats from Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Karnataka (4 seats), Andhra Pradesh (4 seats), Gujarat (4 seats), Madhya Pradesh (3 seats), Rajasthan (3 seats) and Jharkhand (two seats).

The term of Manipur’s lone Rajya Sabha member, Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba (BJP), and Meghalaya’s sole Rajya Sabha representative, Dr. Wanweiroy Kharlukhi of the National People’s Party (NPP), will end on June 21.

The tenure of Arunachal Pradesh’s only Rajya Sabha member, Nabam Rebia (BJP), will expire on June 23.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued the statutory notifications for the June 18 Rajya Sabha elections on Monday.

In the event of a contest, polling will be conducted on June 18 from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M., followed by counting of votes from 5 P.M., the ECI said in a statement.

The poll panel has also appointed Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers for the elections. The filing of nominations for all the Rajya Sabha elections commenced at 11 A.M. on June 1, while the last date for submission of nomination papers is June 8 up to 3 P.M.

Scrutiny of nominations will be undertaken by the respective Returning Officers on June 9. The last date for withdrawal of candidature has been fixed as June 11, according to the ECI notification.

–IANS

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