EC announces bypoll to fill Masood's RS seat on Dec 20

The Election Commission will hold bye-election on December 20 to fill up the vacancy created in Rajya Sabha by Congress MP Rasheed Masood, following his disqualification after he was convicted and jailed by a special court in the MBBS seat scam.
Masood was the first to be convicted by a court in a case of corruption and lost his Rajya Sabha seat on September 19, after the Supreme Court struck down a law that provided immunity to MPs and MLAs from immediate disqualification.
Masood, a Minister of Health in the VP Singh government between 1990 and 1991, was held guilty by the court of fraudulently nominating undeserving candidates to MBBS seats allotted to Tripura in medical colleges across the country from the central pool.

"The Commission has decided to hold bye-elections to the Council of States from Uttar Pradesh to fill up the above said vacancies...Created in the Council of States from Uttar Pradesh," the EC said.
Announcing the schedule of polls for filling up his seat, alongwith the vacancy created by the death of Samajwadi Party MP Mohan Singh, who died on September 22, the Commission said the necessary notification for the bypoll will be issued on December 3.
The last Date of making nominations is December 10 and after scrutiny of nominations on December 11, the last date for withdrawal of candidatures will be December 13.

The polling to fill up both the seats from Uttar pradesh will be held on December 20 from 9 AM to 4 PM and the counting will be held on the same day at 5 PM.
Masood's conviction, for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery), was the first case after the July 10 Supreme Court judgement that struck down sub-section 4 of Section 8 of Representation of the People Act, under which incumbent MPs and MLAs can avoid disqualification till pendency of the appeal against conviction in a higher court. The appeal was to be made within three months of the conviction.