New Delhi: The Congress on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to hold separate elections to two Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat even though they are being held on the same day.
The EC in a June 15 notification had anno-unced that the elections to the seats would take place separately, even though the schedule for the filing of nomination papers and casting of votes would be the same.
The EC had cited two Delhi high court judgments in support of its decision to hold election to two seats separately.
Two seats fell vacant after the election of the Bharatiya Janata Party president and home minister Amit Shah and that of the Union women and child development minister Smriti Irani to Lok Sabha. While Mr Shah has won from Gandhinagar, Ms Irani won from Amethi.
The Congress has been demanding that the election to two seats should take place simultaneously that so that it may have a chance to win one.
However, in the present scenario, the BJP has a clear edge to win both the seats.
The Congress alleged that the action of the EC was completely tainted with arbitrariness, mala fide, partisanship and has been taken in an extremely hasty manner to pre-empt and impede the minority party in the state Assembly to elect a member for the council of states.
It also alleged that the BJP, running the government at the Centre, has used the EC’s office for its political propaganda.
While announcing bypolls to six Rajya Sabha seats on July 5, the poll panel had clarified that the vacancies for bypolls to all Houses, including the Upper House, are considered “separate vacancies” and separate notifications are issued and separate polls are held, though the schedule can be the same.
The notifications will be issued on Tuesday and elections and counting of votes will be held on July 5, it said.
