The Central Election Commission is reportedly planning to hold byelection to the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency represented by former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified by a Gujarat court in a criminal defamation case in March.
Ahead of this, a mock poll was conducted at the Kozhikode District Collectorate on Wednesday to check the functioning of voter verifiable paper audit trail machines. Representatives of political parties were present to witness the procedures as directed by K. Hima, Deputy Collector (Elections), Kozhikode.
The Wayanad Lok Sabha seat remained vacant following Mr. Gandhi’s disqualification. Though there had been speculation about the possibility of a bypoll, an official exercise for the purpose is being carried out for the first time. Mr. Gandhi’s offices in the constituency stopped functioning recently after his personal staff were relieved from service.
The mock poll was held for 170 booths under the Thiruvambady Assembly seat, which is part of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. About 275 machines were checked during the process held on the collectorate premises. The representatives of 10 political parties were present at the spot based on the letters issued to them by the district election authority.
An official release said the first phase of the examination of the voting machines had been going on from June 1. Five % of those machines were subjected to the mock poll, the release added.
Meanwhile, the Congress accused the election panel of hurrying through the preparations for the byelection when Mr. Gandhi’s appeals against disqualification were pending in courts. Kozhikode District Congress Committee functionaries alleged that there was something mysterious behind the whole episode.
