New Delhi
The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday refused to stay the Rajya Sabha elections slated in Gujarat for four seats on Friday, saying it will not stop the elections despite the plea that the postal votes allowed in this election may vitiate the polls in other states like Rajasthan and MP also. Further hearing was listed after four weeks.
Gujarat Congress leader Paresh Dhanani had moved the Apex Court, challenging the Election Commission's order to allow voting through postal ballots for the first time on account of the MLA entitled for voting down with the corona virus.
Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Dhanani asserted that the postal ballots may be misused for "proxy votes," but CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde presiding over the Bench refused to oblige, noting that any irregularity in the polls can be challenged through election petition. Singhvi did not cut ice with his plea that it was not the matter of Gujarat alone since the postal ballots may vitiate the elections in six other states as well that are slated on Friday.
The Election Commission had allowed the postal ballots by some of the BJP MLAs of Gujara down with the corona virus. Three BJP MLAs are reported to be in hospitals with the COVID-19 attack.
Meanwhile, casting and counting of votes for three Rajya Sabha seats will be done on Friday. The BJP has nominated Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sumer Singh Solanki. The Congress candidates are Digvijaya Singh and Phool Singh Baraiya. According to the number of members of both parties in the House, the BJP is set to win two seats and the Congress one. There are 206 members in the House. The BJP has 107 and the Congress 92. The BSP has two, besides there are four Independents and one member from the SP. There are 113 members including those from other parties in support of the BJP. Congress with the support of an independent legislator has 93 members.
