Candidate should not contest from two seats, EC tells SC

If the Election Commission has its way, politicians will no more be able to contest from two seats in elections.

The poll panel on Monday told the Supreme Court that a candidate should not contest from two constituencies. The apex court sought the assistance of the Attorney General K.K. Venugopal in the matter.

Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud directed petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay to serve a copy of the petition to the Attorney General.

Upadhyay has challenged Section 33(7) of the Representation of People Act that allows a person to contest elections for Parliament and state Assemblies from two constituencies.

Many politicians contest from more than one constituencies and then give up one seat if they get elected from both.

Before he became the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi too contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Vadodara in Gujarat. He won from both places and eventually gave up the Vadodara seat.

The Election Commission now wants this practice to stop.

--IANS

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