Gujarat Cong moves SC on RS bypolls

New Delhi, June 17

The Gujarat Congress on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the Election Commission to hold separate bypolls to two Rajya Sabha seats in the state which fell vacant due to the election of BJP chief Amit Shah and Smriti Irani to Lok Sabha.

The petition filed by Congress MLA from Amreli and Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly, Pareshbhai Dhanani, has sought a direction to the Election Commission for holding the election for the two seats simultaneously.

The petition, filed through advocate Varun K Chopra, is likely to be mentioned on Tuesday before a vacation bench for urgent hearing as a press note issued by the poll panel on June 15 has scheduled the election for both seats on July 5. The seats fell vacant after Shah won from Gandhinagar and Irani from Amethi LS constituencies.  Dhanani has sought a direction to quash and declare the poll panel’s order as ‘unconstitutional’. — PTI