EC Tells Supreme Court It Will Defer Bypolls For 15 Karnataka Seats Pending Judgment In Disqualified MLAs’ Case

The Election Commission (EC) has submitted a statement before the Supreme Court that the planned bypolls for 15 Karnataka assembly constituencies will be deferred in light of the pending challenge to the disqualification of the rebel lawmakers who had withdrawn support from the Congress-JD(S) coalition, reports PTI.

The bypolls were earlier scheduled to be held on 21 October, but now the date of the next hearing is itself on 22 October and it is not certain when the court might dispose off the petitions of the disqualified lawmakers.

The court bench comprising Justices NV Ramana, Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari had told the counsel of the EC, Rakesh Dwivedi, that it is going to consider the matter completely and then come to a decision.

"Then I will ask the Election Commission to defer it (by-polls for 15 Assembly seats in Karnataka) for sometime,” the EC counsel had replied.

Lawyers representing the disqualified MLAs have also said they have no objections to the deferment.