The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to take up for hearing on July 23 a petition challenging the Election Commission’s decision to hold separate elections for filling up the three vacant Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra.

The petition filed by Rahul S Narwekar, a Shiv Sena candidate for one of the seats, alleged the decision to hold three separate elections by way of separate notifications was intended to ensure victory of the Congress-NCP combine in violation of the “proportional voting” system.

After senior counsel M N Krishnamani mentioned the matter seeking urgent hearing from the court, the Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishna and Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan posted the matter for Thursday.

The petitioner contended that if separate elections are held, the ruling party with sufficient majority would be able to get all its candidates elected. Such a system was violative of the Representation of the Peoples Act as elections to the Rajya Sabha are to be held only on the basis of a single transferrable vote also known as proportional voting system, the petitioner argued.

The three seats have become vacant after Sushilkumar Shinde (Power Minister), Praful Patel (Civil Aviation Minister) and Supriya Sule, daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, got elected to the Lok Sabha.