Elections for two vacancies in the Rajya Sabha one each from Kerala and UP will be held on August 24, the Election Commission announced on Thursday. Counting of votes will take place on the same day after 5 p.m. the Commission has announced.

The elections are being held as M.P. Veerendra Kumar an MP from Kerala, and Beni Prasad Verma an MP from UP passed away recently.

The Commission has said that the notification for the elections will be issued on August 6 with August 13 being the last date for withdrawal of nomination. Polling will be held between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on August 24.

The Commission has also directed the Chief Secretaries concerned to depute a senior officer from the State to ensure that the instructions regarding Covid-19 containment measures are complied with while making arrangements for conducting the elections.