SHILLONG : Election Commission of India has announced that the biennial election to the Rajya Sabha seat from Meghalaya will be held on June 18, with the nomination process set to begin on June 1.

Chief Electoral Officer B.D.R. Tiwari said the official notification for the election will be issued on June 1, while candidates can file their nomination papers until June 8. Scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled for June 9, and candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nominations until June 11.

Polling for the Rajya Sabha election will take place from 9 am to 4 pm on June 18, with counting of votes scheduled to begin at 5 pm the same day. The entire election process is expected to conclude by June 20.

Ahead of the election, Tiwari chaired a meeting with representatives of political parties in Shillong to brief them on the election schedule, nomination procedures and voting rules. Officials explained the proportional representation system through a single transferable vote, which is followed in Rajya Sabha elections.

Political parties were also reminded about the mandatory disclosure of criminal antecedents of candidates in accordance with directions issued by the Supreme Court and the Election Commission.

Election authorities clarified that MLAs belonging to recognised political parties may display their marked ballot papers only to authorised party agents, while independent legislators are prohibited from showing their ballots to any agent.

During the meeting, officials additionally briefed political parties on procedures related to recording voter preferences, ballot validity, counting methods and calculation of the winning quota. Information regarding nomination documents, affidavits, party authorisation forms and security deposits was also shared.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer, all necessary preparations, including venue inspections and coordination with stakeholders, have been completed to ensure smooth and transparent polling.

The Election Commission also announced that Rajya Sabha elections will be held for one seat each in the northeastern states of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram alongside Meghalaya.

Outside the Northeast, polls are scheduled for four seats each in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, three seats each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and two seats in Jharkhand.