EC action casts shadow on Karnal byelection

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 28

The Election Commission (EC) has decided to withhold the byelection in Akola West constituency of Maharashtra Assembly, after the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court said it could not be held as the new member would get less than a year to represent the constituency. The move also casts a shadow on the holding of byelection at the Karnal Assembly seat, from where Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini plans to contest, as he is currently an MP.

Court observation

The Bombay High Court has held that the byelection could not be held as the new member would get less than a year to represent the constituency

PIL filed against Karnal bypoll

A PIL petition has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking directions to quash the schedule released for holding the Karnal bypoll on May 25, in the light of the Bombay High Court’s decision

Will affect CM Saini’s plans

Since Nayab Singh Saini is an MP, he needs to contest an Assembly election within six months of becoming CM. However, with the term of the Assembly scheduled to end within the next seven months, clouds of uncertainty seem to hang over the holding of the bypoll in Karnal

A day after the court’s order, the EC issued an order, calling off its notification dated March 16 to hold the byelection scheduled for April 26. The term of the Maharashtra Assembly comes to an end in November.

The EC said following the direction of the court, it has decided to “withhold the notification” for the bypoll. There could be ramifications on holding the Karnal Assembly poll, too, as the term of the Haryana Assembly also ends in October.

Though the EC did not comment on the fate of Karnal byelection, a PIL plea has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking the quashing of the schedule released for holding the Karnal bypoll on May 25, in the light of the Bombay court’s decision.

The Karnal seat had fallen vacant after former CM Manohar Lal Khattar resigned as MLA from there to facilitate Saini’s entry in the Assembly by contesting as an MLA. Since Saini is an MP, he needs to contest an Assembly poll within six months of becoming the CM.

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