EC initiates process to hold bypoll in Wayanad LS seat held by Rahul Gandhi

The Election Commission (EC) has initiated the process to hold a byelection in the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, the news agency PTI reported on Wednesday. The seat was held by former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi but he was disqualified following his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark. 

In March this year, Gandhi was convicted in the defamation case and was sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Gujarat. 

A communication sent to recognised political parties by Kozhikode deputy collector on June 5 in his capacity as district election officer said that a mock poll after verification of the Electronic Voting Machines and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems will be held on June 7 ahead of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency bypoll, according to the news agency. The parties were informed that the mock poll and verification of the EVMs and VVPAT system will be held at the Kozhikode Civil Station Aswasakendram Godown. 

The EC's move comes at a time when Gandhi's criminal revision application against the Surat Sessions Court order rejecting his plea to stay his conviction is pending before the Gujarat High Court. The Congress alleged that there was a "mystery" behind the commission's move, asking how the poll panel came to know in advance the judgment of the court in the appeal 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 said the people of the country wanted to know on the instructions of which authority the commission had started working for the bypoll in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. 

In 2019, Rahul Gandhi won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat by over 4.3 lakh votes. He cornered nearly 65 per cent votes, while his nearest competitor PP Suneer secured 25.14 per cent votes. Before moving to Wayanad, Gandhi represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019.