New Delhi: By-elections to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, which became empty yesterday as a result of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's expulsion from the House of Representatives, could be held by September.
The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi followed his Thursday conviction in a defamation case and two-year prison term by a court in Gujarat's Surat. The Congress leader has been given bail for a 30-day period so that he can challenge the ruling, NDTV reported.
Section 151A of the 2015 Representation of the People Act mandates that byelections for vacant seats in the state legislatures and the Parliament be conducted within six months of the time the seat became vacant.
The removal of Rahul Gandhi as an MP was made possible by this Act. A conviction and a minimum two-year term, according to Section 8(3) of the Act, automatically disqualifies an MP.
Rahul Gandhi's suspension was announced by the Lok Sabha Secretariat yesterday, and the Election Commission is now in charge of announcing the byelection dates.
Jalandhar and Wayanad are the two currently vacant seats in the Lok Sabha.
In 2019, he lost his Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh and won the election in his second district, Wayanad.
The defamation suit allegedly stems from his remark that "how come all thieves have Modi as the common surname" during a pre-election rally in Kolar, Karnataka, in 2019. A complaint was filed by a former minister from Gujarat, who claimed that Rahul Gandhi had disparaged the entire Modi community.
Having been found guilty and given a sentence in the case, he now intends to appeal the municipal court's decision in a sessions court, according to his legal team.
Today at 1 pm, the Congress leader will give a news conference.