Itanagar, Nov 3 (IANS) The Congress in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday approached the Gauhati High Court after the state election officer rejected the papers of party candidate Lapalum Kri for the Hayuliang legislative assembly constituency bypoll.
Kri, who is holding the post of Chief Engineer of Public Health Engineering department, applied for Voluntarily Retirement Scheme (VRS) but is yet to be released by the state government.
In view of this, the state election officer rejected the candidature of Kri for the bypoll, which is slated for November 19.
"The BJP and PPA government in Arunachal Pradesh is scared of the Congress and is afraid of facing us in electoral battle. This is the reason the government had not released our candidate despite his supplication for the VRS," said Arunachal Pradesh Pradesh Congress Committee (APPCC) President Padi Richo.
He said they have already moved the Gauhati High court following the rejection of Kri as the candidate.
The Congress alleged that the government led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu deliberately withheld the release of Kri from the department so that he cannot contest the polls.
A total of four candidates, including two Independents, had filed nomination papers for the November 19 bypoll.
While the BJP has fielded Dasanglu Pul, third wife of former Chief Minister late Kalikho Pul, the state election officer had rejected the candidature of Congress candidate.
There are two independent candidates in the fray now -- Yompi Kri and Konteso Kri.
The bypoll to Hayuliang constituency was necessitated after Kalikho Pul was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside his official residence in August 2016.
Pul represented the constituency. While the bypoll will be held on November 19, the counting of votes will take place on November 22.
