SC notice to EC on Congress plea challenging staggered RS polls in Gujarat

New Delhi, June 19: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Election Commission of India on a petition filed by the Congress challenging the decision of the EC to hold the Rajya Sabha elections on two separate dates.

The Election Commission of India had fixed two separate dates for the RS polls in Gujarat. Two seats had fallen vacant from Gujarat after Amit Shah and Smriti Irani won the Lok Sabha elections. The matter will now be taken up on June 25.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said that if you have one election today and one after two or four weeks, then you will be enabling the ruling party's MLAs to simply cross 51 per cent in the Gujarat assembly.

He also said that the party had told the EC if elections for the two seats to be held on two separate dates, it would be both unconstitutional and illegal.

The BJP has 99 MLAs in Gujarat, while the Congress has 77. He said that if the polls are staggered then the BJP will win both the seats. In case polls are held together, then both parties will win a seat each in the Rajya Sabha, Singhvi also added.