Thiruvananthapuram: A decision is yet to be taken on conducting the by-election to Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, said Sanjay M Kaul, Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala.
The seat fell vacant following the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a Member of Parliament.
Kaul's reaction came even as speculations were rife that the Election Commission was set to conduct the bypoll, especially in the wake of a letter sent by the Kozhikode Deputy Collector (Election) making it clear that the elections would be held there. The latter, the other day, sent a letter to the representatives of various political parties, requesting their presence during a mock poll being held in view of the by-election.
Kaul, though sought to sweep such reports under the carpet, terming the mock poll as a normal procedure ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2024.
“It’s the Central Election Commission which should take a decision on the matter. As of now, no decision has been taken to conduct the bypoll,” he said.
With the Lok Sabha election just eight or nine months away, a majority of the political parties question the need to conduct the bypoll to the constituency.
Rahul Gandhi was disqualified in March following his conviction in a criminal defamation case over the 'Modi surname' case over a complaint by Gujarat BJP MLA Purnesh Modi. Gandhi's remark,"How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" came during the poll campaign while targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
