EC Kicks Off Bypoll Process For Wayanad Lok Sabha Seat Vacated After Disqualification Of Rahul Gandhi

The Election Commission has begun the bypoll process for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, previously held by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi was disqualified after being convicted in a criminal defamation case over his "All thieves have Modi surname" remark.

The Congress leader was awarded a two-year jail sentence by a Court in Gujarat's Surat, resulting in his disqualification from the Lower House of the Parliament by the Lok Sabha Speaker.

On 5 June, Kozhikode deputy collector, in his capacity as district election officer, communicated to political parties that a mock poll after verification of the Electronic Voting Machines and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems will be held on 7 June ahead of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency bypoll, reports Indian Express.

The Parties were notified that the mock poll and EVM/VVPAT system verification will be held at Kozhikode Civil Station Aswasakendram Godown.

The Election Commission's decision comes as Gandhi's criminal revision application against a Surat Sessions Court ruling, which rejected his request to suspend the conviction, is pending before the Gujarat High Court.

Meanwhile, the Congress said that the EC's move of preparing for Waynad bypoll before the High Court decision was "mysterious and suspicious".

“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 was quoted as saying in the IE report.

He asked which authority instructed the Election Commission to conduct the bypoll in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.

Mathew Kuzhalnadan, MLA and KPCC general secretary claimed the move is a result of political vendetta.