Morning Digest | All eyes on Election Commission over potential bypoll in Wayanad; MEA says India wants actions, not assurances on safety of diplomatic missions, and more

The Hindu’s Morning Digest brings readers a select list of stories to start the day.

All eyes on Election Commission over potential bypoll in Wayanad; experts raise doubt over legality

With the Lok Sabha Secretariat on March 24 disqualifying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as an MP, all eyes are now on the Election Commission (EC) which can now declare elections to his Wayanad constituency as it has been deemed vacant.

The notification declaring Mr. Gandhi’s disqualification as an MP has been marked to the EC, as well as the Chief Electoral Officer of Kerala, among others. Thus the commission can take cognisance of the same and proceed with announcing election in Wayanad, sources in the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.

Accused Amritpal Singh’s nascent militia would have become enormous threat to national security: Punjab Police

The Punjab Police on Friday said the evidence gathered so far in connection with the “Waris Punjab De (WPD)” chief Amritpal Singh showed that he was allegedly raising a militia which would have become an “enormous threat” to the peace and harmony in the State and national security. However, it was averted by timely action.

Want actions, not assurances on safety of missions: India to U.S., U.K.

India does not want “assurances”, but expects “actions” by host countries to prevent attacks on its diplomatic missions, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Arindam Bagchi said on Friday. Mr. Bagchi refused to elaborate on the removal of external security measures from the British High Commission and the residence of the High Commissioner of the U.K. in Delhi, arguing that security issues for foreign missions in India are not handled by the MEA