The Election Commission on Monday notified elections to 56 Rajya Sabha seats that will be held on February 27. The retiree list includes BJP president J.P. Nadda, nine Union Ministers and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The elections will not change the balance between the treasury benches and the Opposition in the Upper House drastically. While the BJP is expected to keep its tally, the Opposition ranks will be further diminished by a few seats.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya are among the retirees. With the BJP taking a position that its Ministers should take the Lok Sabha route, instead of the Rajya Sabha, many of these Ministers will not return to the Upper House.
