India News | All-party Meet for Cancelling Bypolls to 2 Assembly Seats

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 11 (PTI) An all-party-meeting covenened by the Kerala government on Friday unanimously decided to request the Election Commission to cancel the bypolls for Kuttanad and Chavara Assembly constituencies, citing the COVID-19 situation.

It also decided to request the State Election Commission to postpone the local body elections, scheduled to be held in November, for the same reason.

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"Kuttanad and Chavara by-elections need not be held now and elections to these constituencies can be held along with the coming assembly elections in the next six months," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters after the meeting.

The EC had recently announced that the by-polls would be held in November.

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The Chief Minister said that the term of the 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly would end in May 2021 with general elections scheduled for April as in previous years.

Therefore, the Model Code of Conduct was likely to come into force by March, 2021, he said.

He also said that due to the spread of COVID-19, the government machinery was fully engaged in relief efforts.

The Chief Minister pointed out that if the bypolls are held in November, the term of the elected MLAs would be for a short period only.

Not only would the MLAs be unable to function effectively, but a huge sum, amounting to crores of Rupees, would have to be spent for the bypolls, that too amid the COVID19 pandemic that has gripped the nation, he said.

The tenure of local self government bodies, including the panchayat, municipality and corporations will get over by November 2020, he said, adding there was a Constitutional responsibility to elect the new representatives.

"For the Assembly bypoll, the election will be held only for a three-month tenure. But the local body elections are for the next five years.

We have decided to request the SEC to extend the date.

But the government does not intend to postpone the election indefinitely. That was the general opinion at the meeting," Vijayan said.

The BJP, however, alleged that the LDF and the Opposition Congress-led UDF was predetermined to further delay the local body elections in Kerala.

Kuttanad seat in Alappuzha fell vacant after the death of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Thomas Chandy on December 20 last year.

The death of CPI(M) MLA N Vijayan Pillai on March 8 necessitated the by-poll in Chavara seat.

NCP, an ally of the ruling CPI(M in Kerala, won the Kuttanad seat in the last two elections.

The Chavara seat was wrested from the United Democratic Front's Shibu Baby John by Pillai in the last election.

Vijayan said the Jose K Mani faction was invited for the all-party meet as the court had given the symbol to that faction.

"The Joseph faction that was invited for all the meetings earlier. But now, since the court has given the symbol and the party to the Jose faction, we invited them.

As far as we know, Joseph is also part of KC(M)," Vijayan said.

Meanwhile, senior Kerala Congress Leader, P J Joseph said the participation of Jose K Mani in the all-party-meet amounted to contempt of court and he would challenge it.

The two factions of Kerala Congress (Mani) -- one of Jose K Mani and the other of P J Joseph, were at loggerheads over the election symbol and other matters.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)