Amethi, Apr 20: Returning Officer Ram Manohar Mishra postponed the scrutiny of Rahul Gandhi's nomination papers from Amethi to April 22.
Rahul Gandhi, who filed the nomination from Amethi, is also contesting the 2019 elections from Kerala's Wayanad seat and has filed the nomination for both. Gandhi has been a member of parliament since 2004 from the Gandhi bastion of Amethi. "On basis of certificate of incorporation of a company registered in UK, he declared himself a UK citizen. A non-citizen can't contest polls here," said Ravi Prakash, lawyer of Lal. "On what basis has he become a British citizen? And, how did he obtain Indian citizenship now? Unless there is clarity over the matter, we have requested the Returning Officer not to accept Rahul Gandhi's nomination papers," Prakash said. Addressing the issue, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said: "I think it's a matter of great surprise that the objections that have been raised regarding Rahul Gandhi's citizenship haven't been answered." He further said that Gandhi's legal representative did not have answers to questions raised by other candidates on details given in his nomination. "Rahul Gandhi's name has been shown to be listed as a British citizen in documents related to a company in the UK. Was Rahul Gandhi a British citizen?" Narasimha Rao asked. Amethi, a traditional bastion of the Gandhi family, will go to polls on May 6. Rahul is facing a stiff challenge from Smriti Irani in Amethi.