By-elections announced for 3 Rajya Sabha seats in West Bengal, voting will be held on July 24

Kolkata: Once again an election atmosphere has been created in the politics of West Bengal. The Election Commission of India has announced the dates for holding by-elections on three vacant seats of Rajya Sabha. Since these seats became vacant, the eyes of political parties were fixed on the selection of new candidates. Now with the election schedule coming out, political activities are likely to intensify in the state. According to the Commission, voting for these three seats will be held on July 24, 2026 and counting of votes will also be completed in the evening of the same day.

According to the information released by the Election Commission, the three Rajya Sabha seats on which by-elections will be held have become vacant after the resignation of former MPs Sukhendu Shekhar Rai, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik. Sukhendu Shekhar Rai resigned from his post on 8 June 2026, Sushmita Dev on 10 June 2026 and Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from his post on 11 June 2026. Since then these three seats were vacant. The Commission has made it clear that separate notifications will be issued for all three seats and the election process will be completed independently on each seat.

Know the complete election program

As per the schedule fixed by the Election Commission, the process of by-election will start from July 7, 2026, when the official notification will be issued. Candidates will be able to file their nominations till 14th July. After this, scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on July 15. If any candidate does not want to contest the elections, he can withdraw his name till July 17. Voting will be conducted on July 24 from 9 am to 4 pm. Counting of votes will begin at 5 pm on the same day and the entire election process will be completed before July 27.

Commission issued special instructions for voting

This time the Election Commission has also issued some special instructions regarding the voting process. During voting, only that special purple colored pen will be used to record the vote on the ballot paper, which will be provided by the Returning Officer. Voting done with any other pen will not be valid. The Commission says that this arrangement has been made to maintain secrecy and transparency of voting. Besides, special observers will also be appointed to monitor the election process, so that the entire process can be conducted in a fair manner.

Why is this by-election important?

The by-elections of these three seats are also considered very important politically. Sukhendu Shekhar Rai and Sushmita Dev have been among the prominent leaders of Trinamool Congress, while Prakash Chik Baraik has also been playing an active role in the state politics. Now the biggest question is who the political parties make candidates on these seats. The results of these elections can also affect the strategy of the parties in the Rajya Sabha and the future political equations.

Complete preparation of Election Commission

The Election Commission has clarified that even though voting on all three seats will be conducted on the same day, separate election process will be adopted for each seat. This system is being implemented in accordance with the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and the 2006 decision of the Delhi High Court. The Commission has instructed the administration to conduct peaceful and transparent elections. Besides, all political parties have also been appealed to follow the election rules and guidelines of the Commission. In such a situation, now the eyes of the entire state are fixed on the announcement of the candidates and the voting to be held on July 24.