Bhopal, May 26 (IANS) Former Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti suffered a setback on Tuesday after the Delhi High Court deferred the hearing in his bank fraud conviction case till July 14, further reducing his chances of getting relief before the Datia Assembly by-election.

Bharti had approached the High Court against the three-year jail sentence awarded to him by a Delhi MP-MLA court in a bank fraud case.

The matter was listed before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Tuesday, but the hearing could not proceed due to a lack of time, as the court was occupied with priority matters.

This is the third time the hearing has been postponed.

Following his conviction on April 2, Bharti lost his membership of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly under provisions of the Representation of the People Act, which disqualifies lawmakers sentenced to two years or more in prison.

After his disqualification, the Assembly Secretariat declared the Datia seat vacant and informed the Election Commission.

The Datia district administration has reportedly sent a report to the Election Commission stating that arrangements for conducting the bypoll are ready.

Meanwhile, political circles believe the Election Commission may announce the by-election schedule at any time.

Bharti was a key Congress face in the Gwalior-Chambal region and had won the Datia seat in 2023.

He had defeated senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former state Home Minister Narottam Mishra, who had won this seat thrice.

The Datia by-election is expected to witness a direct contest between the ruling BJP and the Congress, making it an important political battle in the Gwalior-Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh.

Both parties have already started groundwork in the constituency.

With the July 14 date set by the High Court, Bharti’s legal options before the bypoll appear limited.

If the Election Commission notifies the election before that, the Congress will have to contest without him.

–IANS

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