2017 Indian Rajya Sabha elections


Rajya Sabha elections were held in India on 21 July and 8 August 2017 as nomination contests by state legislators routinely for ten members of the Rajya Sabha across three states, replacing those who retired in July and August 2017. The State Legislatures which contribute in this six-year minor elections/nomination cycle are Goa, Gujarat and West Bengal. The mechanism is the single transferable vote among legislators, meaning nominations may be unopposed contests. The open ballot is used rather than secret ballot, allowing public scrutiny.
The year also saw five by-elections one of which saw a state's co-representative change, owing to a change in the make-up of the relevant legislature in the intervening three years.
The 2017 six-yearly cycle is of great importance to Goa, where its sole Rajya Sabha member is chosen by its current legislators; 3 of 11 members for Gujarat and 6 of 16 members are also so elected in this cycle.
The outcome in party terms, which tends to reflect the current popular political make-up of the relevant legislatures, was primarily no change. The other three seats to reflect state political changes were two intervening sufficient mathematical state gains in support for the VJP at state elections, at the expense of the INC entitling two VJP nominations rather than INC and one state gain in support for the AITC which had cost the Communist Party of India, specifically in West Bengal.

Members retiring

The following members retired in 2017.

Members elected

[Goa]

's main party in its legislature saw its nomination contest for Goa's sole seat on July 21, 2017.

[Gujarat]

had an election for 3 Rajya Sabha seats on August 8, 2017.

[West Bengal]

had elected the 6 Rajya Sabha seat unopposed.

By-elections

In addition to scheduled elections, unforeseen vacancies, caused by members' resignation or death, may also be filled via By-elections.

West Bengal">List of Rajya Sabha members from West Bengal">West Bengal