Rajya Sabha polls for 3 vacant seats will be held during currency of 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly: ECI to Kerala High Court

Rajya Sabha elections to fill in three vacancies that would arise for members from Kerala would be conducted during the term of the present, i.e. 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly, the Election Commission of India (ECI) assured the Kerala High Court on Tuesday. .Justice PV Asha initially recorded the said undertaking and posted the matter for compliance on April 7, a day after the Kerala Legislative Assembly elections. However, minutes after the order was pronounced, the Election Commission's counsel requested that his oral submission not be recorded in the order, and further that the matter be posted on April 5, Monday. Accordingly, the Court has now posted the case next on Monday. .The Election Commission had informed the Court yesterday that it would abide by its statutory schedule and conduct the Rajya Sabha elections within the specified time frame. An affidavit to this effect was filed as well..The decision to keep in abeyance the Rajya Sabha polls had been challenged by the Secretary to the Kerala Legislative Assembly and MLA S Sharma. .The petitioners today argued that if the Rajya Sabha polls have to be held within the term of the present Kerala Legislative Assembly, the notification for the same has to be issued either today or tomorrow, since Friday is a public holiday. Senior Advocates NN Sugunapalan and CS Vaidyanathan appeared for the petitioners. .The Election Commission's standing counsel, Advocate Deepu Lal Mohan, submitted that he does not have specific instructions on when the elections will be held. However, he assured that it would be conducted within the currency of the 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly. He also pointed out that Section 12 of the Representation of People Act only requires the notification of election dates before the retiring date. He added that the petition is premature. .Countering the petitioners' submissions on this aspect, Mohan also urged the Court not to fix timelines for issuing the notification or conducting the elections, contending that these are matters for the Election Commission to decide. .Apprehensions had been raised that the Election Commission had taken the decision to keep in abeyance the elections for three Rajya Sabha seats that will fall vacant on April 21 on account of interference by the Union Law Ministry..The Election Commission had disputed these contentions in Court, adding that it would abide by statutory time-frame and asserting that has not been influenced by anything else. .Three seats from Kerala in the Rajya Sabha will fall vacant on April 21 when IUML's Abdul Wahab, CP(I)M's KK Ragesh and Congress' Vayalar Ravi will retire. .After the Election Commission had indicated that it may defer the elections, objection was registered that the incumbent 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly may not be able to vote on the next three Rajya Sabha members from Kerala as it may be dissolved by then. .Elections for the next Kerala Legislative Assembly are slated to be held on April 6.