The BJP has the highest number of members, 78, in the upper house of the Parliament.

Bypolls to two Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh, that had fallen vacant earlier this month following the resignations of the sitting Samajwadi Party members, will be held on September 23, the Election Commission announced today.

The seats had fallen vacant after Samajwadi Party MPs Surendra Singh Nagar and Sanjay Seth had resigned in the first week of August. While Mr Nagar had resigned on August 2, Mr Seth had put in his papers on August 5.

The terms of the MPs were set to expire in July 2022. After their resignations, the two leaders joined the BJP on August 10.

Mr Nagar is a two-time MP having represented the Gautam Buddha Nagar Lok Sabha in the past, while Mr Seth is a real estate developer based in Uttar Pradesh and was also the Samajwadi Party's treasurer earlier.

With their resignations, the Samajwadi Party has been left with only 10 members in the Rajya Sabha. The BJP has the highest number of members, 78, in the upper house of the Parliament.