90-Day Countdown for By-Election in Constituency 10

Following the resignation of Vikram Hurdoyal on February 13 as the Member of Parliament for the Montagne-Blanche–Grande-Rivière-Sud-Est constituency (no10), the announcement of the writ of election was expected.

The Prime Minister has chosen the maximum 90-day period imposed by The Representation Of The People Act 1958 to do so.

Nomination Day will take place no later than July 11, 2024, and the by-election will be held no later than October 9.

However, Nomination Day and the by-election could occur before July 11 and October 9 respectively.

Nevertheless, general elections could take place if the National Assembly is dissolved before or even after Nomination Day, as was the case in 2019.

The unnecessary registration of candidates for a single seat in the by-election, unlike in general elections, is not expected to cause major maneuvers, according to authorities.

The Militant Socialist Movement has reportedly already chosen its candidate for the possible by-election in the person of Avinesh Dayal, son of the late former Police Commissioner and ex-minister.

When contacted, he declined to comment. However, Avinesh Dayal has already begun to “plow the field.”

A close associate confided that even if there is no by-election, he expects Avinesh to receive a ticket for the general elections. “Otherwise, we would have only used him as a decoy and that would not be good.”

On the opposition side, the identity of the proposed candidate is unknown, although the government expects Navin Ramgoolam to step forward.

Ramgoolam has repeatedly stated that he does not believe a by-election will happen and has declared that it is not up to the government to choose the opposition’s candidate.

Source: l’Express