By-election to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, which fell vacant yesterday after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament, is likely to be held by September.

By-election to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, which fell vacant yesterday after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

was disqualified as a Member of Parliament, is likely to be held by September.

Gandhi was disqualified by a Surat court in Gujarat on Thursday after he was convicted in a defamation case and sentenced to two years in jail.

The Congress leader has been granted bail for 30 days to appeal against the verdict.

Two seats are vacant

According to Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act, 2015, bye-elections to vacant seats in Parliament and State Assemblies must be held within six months of the seat becoming vacant.

Under this Act, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Member of Parliament.

Section 8(3) of the Act says that an MP is disqualified when he is convicted and sentenced to a minimum of two years' imprisonment.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat notified the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi yesterday and it is now up to the Election Commission to announce the dates for the bypolls.

Now two seats Jalandhar and Wayanad are vacant in the Lok Sabha.

Press conference at 1 pm

Rahul Gandhi lost his Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 and was elected from his second seat Wayanad.

The defamation case relates to Rahul Gandhi's remark "How can all thieves be surnamed Modi" during a rally in Kolar, Karnataka in 2019.

A former Gujarat minister had filed a complaint that Rahul Gandhi had defamed the entire Modi community.

According to Rahul Gandhi's team, Rahul Gandhi, who was convicted and sentenced in this case, is now planning to challenge the local court's decision in the sessions court.

Rahul Gandhi will address a press conference today at 1 pm.

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