The Bombay High Court’s direction to the Election Commission (EC) to "immediately" hold a bypoll for the Pune Lok Sabha seat, which has been lying vacant for eight months, has given fresh ammunition to the Opposition against the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP coalition, particularly regarding their claim that the BJP is controlling the EC. In its order Wednesday, the High Court said: "The business of EC staff cannot result in citizens going unrepresented. That is unthinkable and would amount to sabotaging the entire constitutional framework which, we trust, that is what even EC did not want.” The seat had fallen vacant after the death of sitting BJP MP Girish Bapat on March 29 this year. As per Representation of the People Act, 1951, a vacancy in a House must be filled within six months, “provided that the remainder of the term of a member in relation to a vacancy is one year or more”. The EC had argued that it could not hold the bypoll as it was busy with other elections in the country, as well as preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. After the court order, senior Congress leader Mohan Joshi, who is among the contenders from the seat, said, “The court has exposed the BJP’s dictatorship and its influence on all statutory bodies, including the EC.” Sharad Pawar NCP spokesperson Ankush Kakade called the High Court's decision “crucial”. “It seems the BJP influenced the EC to not hold the bypolls. The BJP has got exposed. They will pay for it in the next elections,” he said. The seat’s history Considered a Congress stronghold, the Pune Lok Sabha seat was wrested by the BJP in 2014 amid the Narendra Modi wave. The party had gone on to win all the eight Assembly segments in the seat in the state elections that followed. The BJP had further strengthened its hold in the seat by emerging as the single largest party in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections held in 2017. In 2019, Bapat repeated BJP's 2014 feat, winning the Pune seat by as much as six lakh votes. However, other parties have been clawing back in the constituency, and in the 2019 Assembly elections, two of the eight Assembly seats within the Pune Lok Sabha constituency went to the NCP. Then, in March this year, the Congress won the bypoll held for the Kasbha Assembly seat, one of the six Assembly seats within the Pune Lok Sabha constituency, after the death of sitting BJP legislator Mukta Tilak, a member of the Bal Gangadhar Tilak family. The Congress’ Ravindra Dhangekar defeated the BJP’s Hemant Rasane. The setback to the BJP, despite heavy campaigning by senior leaders, was projected by the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance as "the start of the downfall" of the BJP in Pune. Bapat's death had come soon after. Already apprehensive about its slipping hold, the BJP was soon beset with conflicting claims for a ticket from the seat. The contenders included several Bapat family members, apart from Jagdish Mulick, Sanjay Kakade, Medha Kulkarniand Murlidhar Mohol. The Congress and NCP were as determined to win the bypoll, with senior Congress leader Mohan Joshi as well as city unit Congress chief Arvind Shinde and Anant Gadgil showing an interest to contest. From the NCP's side, the aspirants includedPrashant Jagtap and Deepak Mankar. Earlier, questioning the delay on the bypoll, Joshi said: “The ruling BJP is scared of a defeat. A survey has indicated that the result will not go in its favour."
