Chandigarh, 27 August (Trinew)
There is still a possibility of a by-election on the Ambala Lok Sabha seat. Apart from Ambala, the case for holding by-elections in two Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and one in Uttar Pradesh is pending with the Central Election Commission. The process of by-election is still under consideration. That is, it has neither been decided that the by-election will not be held nor is it clear that the by-election will be conducted. In such a situation, both types of situation remain.
In response to an RTI query by Punjab and Haryana High Court advocate Hemant Kumar, the Central Election Commission has denied apprehensions that bypolls will not be held. Recently, the Commission had issued a program to hold bye-elections to the vacant seats of the Legislative Assemblies in various states, but did not start the process of filling the vacant seats of the Lok Sabha. Since then it is believed that there will be no by-election on the Ambala seat. This seat is vacant after the demise of Ratan Lal Kataria, who was the MP from here.
Hemant Kumar had sought information regarding the Ambala by-election by filing an RTI in the Legislative Department under the Ministry of Law and Justice. The Legislative Department transferred this petition to the Election Commission of India. Election Commission Secretary and Central Public Information Officer Sanjeev Kumar Prasad said in his reply that the time limit for holding a by-election on that seat is within six months of the Lok Sabha seat becoming vacant. However, the Election Commission may certify after consultation with the Central Government whether it is possible to hold the bye-elections within the above six months period or not.
