Wayanad bypoll News: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday said that no decision has been taken yet to conduct the by-election in Kerala's Wayanad constituency. It should be noted here that the parliamentary seat fell vacant following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as a Member of the Parliament (MP).
While announcing the schedule for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said that there is still ample time to hold the by-election in Wayanad.
"The bypoll to a vacant seat needs to be conducted within six months. On March 23, we came to know that the Wayanad seat fell vacant. We have plenty of time... The lower court has also given 30 days to Rahul Gandhi to appeal against his conviction, so we are waiting for that process as well. After that, we will take a decision on this matter," he added.
Surat court sentences Rahul Gandhi to 2 years in jail
It should be mentioned here that a court in Gujarat's Surat sentenced Congress leader Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his "Modi surname" remarks. A case was filed against Gandhi for his alleged “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?”
He stated this while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Notably, the complaint against his remarks was lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi.
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What's next for Rahul Gandhi?
Notably, Rahul Gandhi can now challenge the decision of the Surat court in the high court. The Congress has also questioned the legality of the action that only the President can disqualify an MP in consultation with the Election Commission.
If the verdict of Rahul Gandhi's sentence is upheld by the higher courts also, then he will not be able to contest elections for the next 8 years. After completing two years of sentence, he will not be able to contest the election for another six years.
