SC rejects plea by Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party to defer Bihar bypolls

The Jan Suraaj Party had sought that the November 13 bypolls be postponed because of the Chhath Puja.

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by the newly-formed Jan Suraaj Party seeking deferment of the bypolls in Bihar, to be held day after tomorrow.

Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor (File Photo/HT)

The party floated by election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, had sought postponement of the exercise because of the Chhath Puja festival.

“It's too late to interfere. Courts shouldn't interfere in such matters (rescheduling the voting). All arrangements have been made for the bypolls,” a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan told senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for the petitioner.

Admonishing Jan Suraaj, the bench also said no other party had a problem with the date of polling.

“Only you (Jan Suraaj) have a problem. You are a new political party, you need to know these zig-zags,” the judges mentioned, according to PTI.

Singhvi gave the recent example of the Election Commission advancing polling dates in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Kerala on the basis of religious events.

“The Bihar polls did not see a similar treatment despite the Chhath Puja. There is no other festival as important as Chhath Puja in Bihar,” he argued.

On Wednesday, the state will hold by-elections for the Ramgarh, Tarari, Belaganj and Imamganj assembly seats. The counting of votes will be conducted on November 23.

The Kishor-led outfit has fielded candidates in all four constituencies in what will be its first electoral battle. It has given tickets to Sushil Kushwaha in Ramgarh, Kiran Singh (Tarari) Mohammad Amjad (Belaganj) and Jitendra Paswan (Imamganj).

Initially, former vice chief of the army, Lietuenant General (retd.) Sri Krishna Singh was fielded from Tarari, while Khilafat Hussain was to be the candidate from Belaganj.