Rahul Gandhi’s parliament membership was restored after a stay on his conviction by India’s top court, a development that may embolden the opposition leader as he seeks to challenge the ruling party in 2024 elections.
(Bloomberg) — Rahul Gandhi’s parliament membership was restored after a stay on his conviction by India’s top court, a development that may embolden the opposition leader as he seeks to challenge the ruling party in 2024 elections.
Gandhi, 53, the leader of the main opposition Congress party, was sentenced to two years in jail by a lower court for making defamatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname during an election rally in 2019. He can now contest elections after the Supreme Court suspended his conviction.
The secretariat of the lower house of parliament issued a notification on Monday saying his disqualification, which ran for four months, has been revoked.
He can now participate in the current session of parliament, in which a no-confidence motion against the Modi government will be debated this week following deadly violence in the eastern state of Manipur. The no confidence vote doesn’t pose a threat to the government as the ruling coalition has enough members to defeat the motion.
Still, Gandhi’s legal troubles aren’t over. A court in the state of Gujarat is yet to rule on the merits of the defamation case.
Indian law bars anyone sentenced to a prison term of two or more years from contesting elections for six years after the end of their sentence. Following his conviction by a lower court in March, Gandhi was almost immediately disqualified as a lawmaker in line with the rules.
Gandhi has positioned himself as a challenger to Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. A recent victory for Congress in local elections in the southern state of Karnataka has given Gandhi’s party a much needed boost.
The politician’s initial disqualification from parliament, and elections, became a political flash point. More than two dozen opposition parties have united with Congress and vowed to defeat Modi in the national elections next summer.
(Updates throughout)
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