India, May 19 -- The Election Commission of India (EC) on Monday announced elections to 17 seats of the legislative council to be elected by members of municipal corporations and councils, zilla parishads, nagar panchayats and panchayat samitis. Polling for all 17 seats will be held on June 18, while counting will take place on June 22.

Most of these seats, representing 26 districts, are likely to be snapped up by the ruling Mahayuti alliance based on its performance in the recent urban and local bodies. The three Mahayuti constituents collectively won over 67% or 8,032 of the 11,913 seats in the local body elections. The BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 4,540 of the 11,913 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena with 1,888 seat...