On Friday, the Election Commission (EC) said that the bypoll to the Rajya Sabha seat from West Bengal vacated by Dinesh Trivedi earlier this year will be held on August 9.
Trivedi, then a Trinamool Congress member, had announced his resignation on February 12, saying he feels suffocated in the House as he is unable to do anything for the violence going on in West Bengal. He is now with the BJP. His term was to end in April, 2026.
Notification for the bypoll would be issued on July 22 and poll would be held on August 9, the Commission said. The counting for Rajya Sabha polls is held on the same day after polling ends.
The Commission further reiterated that Covid protocols should be following during the bypoll.
Meanwhile, in May this year, the EC had deferred certain proposed bypolls to Lok Sabha and assembly seats in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation in the country.
Meanwhile, the opposition leader Shuvendu Adhikari has filed a petition with the Speaker demanding the implementation of anti-defection law against Mukul Roy. Although Mukul was MLA from Krishnanagar North constituency on a BJP ticket, he returned to Trinamool on June 11. He is still a BJP MLA.
This time, the BJP wants to put pressure on Mukul by issuing a whip with a candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections. A top leader of the party said, “Mukul Roy has been made the chairman of PAC, breaking the rules of the assembly.”
According to the constitutional rules, any political party can issue a whip to obey the instructions of the party MLAs and MPs in the Legislative Assembly and Parliament. At the same time at least two-thirds of the total members can disobey the whip. Otherwise, anti-defection law may be effective against the members concerned. The Chief Whip of the Parliamentary Party issued this directive. While it cannot be done in some cases, including the presidential election. In many other cases the whip has the right to be issued. Three types of whips can be issued. If a ‘one-line whip’ is issued, the MLA or MP has to abide by the party’s instructions in case of a vote. If he does not accept that, he can abstain from voting. In the case of a ‘two-line whip’, a party member may be instructed to be present in the Legislative Assembly or Parliament during the voting. And if a ‘three-line whip’ is issued, the political party can directly dictate who to vote for.
Meanwhile, the hearing on the dismissal of Mukul Roy as MLA ended in the assembly. Opposition leader Shuvendu Adhikari was present at the hearing on Friday. Two MLAs Sudip Mukherjee and Ambika Roy were also present.