India, May 23 -- The Election Commission has announced the schedule for elections to three Rajya Sabha seats from Rajasthan, with polling slated for June 18 and results to be declared on the same day. The notification for the elections will be issued on June 1, following which the nomination process will begin. June 8 has been fixed as the last date for filing nominations, while scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw nominations till June 11. Voting will be conducted between 9 am and 4 pm on June 18, while counting of votes will begin at 5 pm. Three Rajya Sabha MPs from Rajasthan - BJP MP Rajendra Gehlot, Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu and Congress MP Neeraj Dangi - are set to retire on June 21, paving the way for elections to the three seats. In the 200-member Rajasthan assembly, the BJP has 118 MLAs while the Congress has 67 members. Under the Rajya Sabha election formula, a candidate requires 51 first-preference votes to win, giving the BJP enough strength to comfortably secure two seats and the Congress sufficient numbers to win one. Based on the current strength of parties in the assembly, the BJP is comfortably placed to win two seats, while the Congress is expected to secure one seat. Political observers said the elections could be held unopposed if the BJP does not field a third candidate and the Congress refrains from nominating a second candidate. However, both parties are yet to take a final call and the decision will depend on their political strategy. Sources said the BJP has already held internal discussions regarding its Rajya Sabha candidates. The party is considering giving representation to an OBC leader, along with a central leader and a local face. Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu is likely to be renominated from Rajasthan. Senior BJP leaders Rajendra Rathore, Prabhu Lal Saini and Satish Poonia are also being discussed as possible contenders. Names of several women leaders, including Alka Gujjar, are also under consideration. In the Congress, the decision on candidates is expected to be taken by the party leadership in Delhi. The party has not yet finalised its panel of candidates, though several leaders from Rajasthan as well as from the central leadership are said to be in the race. Party insiders said the picture would become clearer in the coming days after consultations over the final panel. Under the Rajya Sabha election formula, a candidate requires the support of 51 MLAs to secure victory. In the current assembly, the BJP has 118 MLAs, Congress 67, Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) four, BSP two, Independents eight and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) one. With the present numbers, the BJP can comfortably win two seats, while the Congress has enough strength to secure one seat. Political analysts said it would be nearly impossible for the BJP to win a third seat, as it would require support from around 35 MLAs belonging to other parties. Even if the BJP secures the backing of Independents, BSP and BAP legislators along with its ally RLD, it would still fall short by nearly 20 votes. Although the Congress appears certain to win one seat with its 67 MLAs, political observers believe that if the BJP fields a third candidate, it could create the possibility of cross-voting within the Congress camp. Sources said the BJP may strategically field a third candidate, or support an Independent nominee, not necessarily to win the seat but to test opposition unity and influence the political narrative ahead of future elections. Despite the speculation, BJP leaders believe arranging the additional 38 votes required for a third seat would be practically impossible under the current political scenario, making it unlikely that the party will seriously contest a third seat....