Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran Congress leader and former union minister AK Antony said that he will not be contesting in the Rajya Sabha elections ahead of his tenure coming to an end in April. It is unclear who will replace Antony.

He told the media that he had discussed the matter with the party leadership and KPCC. He also thanked the party and INC president Sonia Gandhi for all opportunities given to represent the party in Rajya Sabha.
In 2016, he was elected into the upper house from Kerala for the fifth term since 1985.

Earlier, the Election Commission announced the dates for elections to three Rajya Sabha seats in Kerala. The voting will take place on March 31. The tenure of the seats will get over on April 2. They are currently represented by MV Shreyams Kumar, AK Antony and K Somaprasad.