Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Wednesday that the court has given Congress leader Rahul Gandhi 30 days to seek judicial redress after he was convicted in a criminal defamation case, and that the commission will wait before calling byelections in the Wayanad parliamentary constituency.
In a press conference Kumar said, “We have six months’ time to hold a by-election after a seat falls vacant. The trial court has given 30 days time for judicial remedy. So, we will wait.”
Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Lok Sabha on March 24 following his conviction by the Surat court in a criminal defamation case for the ‘Modi surname’ remark.
When asked about the Aam Aadmi Party’s status as the national party, the CEC stated that the Commission is reviewing its status.
When asked about the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, the CEC stated that the commission is aware of the “vacuum” that needs to be filled.
He said “The SSR (special summary revision) was conducted on the date of October 1 in Jammu and Kashmir. SSR is conducted with a cut-off date of January 1 in the entire country.
“We did it there because we wanted to complete the process as fast as possible. This process is to bring them at par as far as the voter list is concerned with rest of the country. We are aware that there is a vacuum and that needs to be filled.”