The Election Commission on Wednesday said there was “no hurry” to declare a by-election to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat as the trial court has given Rahul Gandhi one month to file an appeal. A Surat court on March 23 convicted Gandhi in a 2019 defamation case over his “Modi surname” remarks. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment in the criminal defamation case filed by BJP leader Purnesh Modi.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said the poll body took decisions only for the Assembly and parliamentary constituencies that were vacant till February.
“There is no hurry, we will wait. There is not hurry to do it before exhausting that particular remedy which the trial court had accorded. We will take a call after that,” Kumar said.
He said that the Lok Sabha secretariat had issued a notification declaring the seat vacant on March 23 this year, and according to law, a bypoll has to be conducted within six months, adding that if the remainder of the term was less than a year, then election is not held.
Kumar added that in the case of Wayanad, the remainder of the term is more than a year.
Along with the election dates for the Karnataka Assembly elections, which the ECI said, will be on May 10, and results on May 13, the poll body also announced the by-poll dates for one parliamentary seat, and four Assembly constituencies.
The voting will take place on May 10 and counting will be taken up on May 13.
