India: Wayanad parliament seat declared vacant after Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala was declared vacant on Friday following the disqualification of its MP Rahul Gandhi from Parliament after he was sentenced to a two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case.

The Lok Sabha secretariat issued a notification disqualifying him as a member of the Lower House of Parliament following his conviction by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case.

The Lok Sabha website now shows three vacant seats – Jalandhar, Lakshadweep and Wayanad.

The Jalandhar seat fell vacant after the demise of Congress member Santokh Singh Chaudhary.

The Lakshadweep seat fell vacant after the disqualification of NCP member Mohammad Faizal P P after his conviction in an attempt to murder case in which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Gandhi won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad, the second seat he had contested.