EC begins bypoll preparation in Waynad Lok Sabha seat held by Rahul Gandhi, Congress terms move as ‘political vendetta’
The Election Commission has begun the preparation of bypolls in Waynad Lok Sabha seat, which was held by Rahul Gandhi. The Congress leader was disqualified after a Gujarat court awarded him prison for his remark on ‘Modi’ surname. The Congress has called the move as a part of ‘political vendetta’
PremiumAfter the dismissal of Rahul Gandhi from parliament due to its remark on 'Modi' surname, the Election Commission has begun the process to hold a bypoll in the Waynad Lok Sabha seat held by the Congress leader.
The court in Gujarat had sentenced Gandhi to two years in Jail, after which Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the parliament by the Lok Sabha speaker.
A mock poll after verification of the Electronic Voting Machines and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trial (VVPAT) will be held on June 7 ahead of the bypolls, according to a communication sent to recognised political parties by Kozhikode deputy collector.
The mock poll and verification of EVMs and VVPAT will be held at the Kozhikode Civil Station Aswasakendram Godown. The preparation for bypolls will be held against the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi's pending appeal before the Gujarat High Court.
Congress questions Election Commission's move before HC's decision
Congress has alleged that there was a “mystery" behind the Election Commission's move. The party asked how the poll panel was able to predict the decision of the Gujarat High Court on the case when the appeal is pending before it.
"The preparations for the by-elections in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency have started even before the high court's decision on Gandhi's plea. It is mysterious and suspicious," Kozhikode DCC president K Praveen Kumar said.
He also added that Indians want to know the instructions of which authority the Election Commission had started working for the bypoll in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. KPCC general secretary and MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan accused the move to be a government's intention of ‘political vendetta’. He alleged the BJP of acting in haste against Gandhi after his Lok Sabha speech exposing its ‘dubious dealings’ with the Adani Group. He also called the move to conduct bypoll before Gujarat HC's order another move of ‘political vendetta’.
He claimed that the BJP's move has done nothing but helped Gandhi in emerging stronger. The proof of the same is the Congress party's victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls.
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