Ahmedabad: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Gujarat High Court requesting the court to instruct the Election Commission of India (ECI) to hold the pending by-election for the Visavadar assembly constituency.

One Kailashbhai Savaliya, a member of the Jamka taluka panchayat affiliated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has filed this plea, stating that AAP candidate Bhupendra Bhayani won the assembly election in Visavadar in December 2022 but resigned from his position in December 2023. Three months after resigning, Bhayani joined the BJP.

Although the ECI announced bypolls for various assembly seats in March 2024, which were held alongside the Lok Sabha polls, there was no mention of a byelection for the Visavadar constituency. The petitioner has pointed to media reports suggesting that the ECI’s decision to forgo a byelection in Visavadar might be linked to ongoing legal disputes concerning Bhayani’s election, as several election petitions regarding his victory are pending in the High Court.

The petitioner is seeking the High Court’s intervention to ensure a timely election, emphasizing the importance of having representation in the legislative assembly to protect the interests and welfare of local residents. DeshGujarat