By-election in 6 months to fill vacancies: CEC on disqualification of 18 TN MLAs

Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat on Thursday said that since the disqualification of 18 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs will create vacancies, the commission will be required to fill those within 6 months by conducting by polls in respective constituencies.

Rawat's statement came after the Madras High Court upheld the disqualification of 18 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs earlier on Thursday.

Speaking to ANI, Rawat said, "Since disqualification will create vacancies and whenever there are vacancies, we are required to hold elections (by-polls) to those vacancies within 6 months, so Commission will see it from that angle."

He, however, remarked that the situation would be different if the MLAs' decision to go to the Supreme Court with an appeal regarding the High Court's order.

"If this order becomes final there will be by polls but suppose they go to Supreme Court, it will be under the adjudication," Rawat added.

Commenting further on President Ram Nath Kovind's decision to dismiss a plea to disqualify 27 Member of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for allegedly holding office-of-profit, Rawat asserted that no office of profit was substantiated by evidence in this regard.

Rawat said, "Because there was no office of profit substantiated by evidence on record, therefore, the commission has rendered an opinion and the President passed the order."

Meanwhile, CEC OP Rawat, EC Sunil Arora, and EC Ashok Lavasa are slated to visit poll-bound Chhattisgarh on October 31 and November 1 to meet district administration officials for reviewing the poll preparedness in the state. The EC will also visit Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh later next month for reviewing preparations ahead of assembly elections.