CAIRO, Mar 12 (Aswat Masriya) – Controversial ex-lawmaker Tawfik Okasha challenged on Saturday the decision to expel him from Egypt's House of Representatives.

Okasha was stripped of his membership in the legislature earlier this month in the aftermath of a meeting he had with Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Haim Koren. Out of the 596 House members, 465 voted in favour of removing Okasha.

Just days after he was expelled, the Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) said it will start accepting applications from parliamentary hopefuls in Daqahlia province, to replace Okasha.

But Okasha's lawyer Hala Osman told Aswat Masriya today that she "warned" SEC that she is challenging the decision and that the appeal has not yet been ruled upon. 

SEC had called on voters to head to the polls in Daqahlia province for the election process, which was set to take place over the course of three days, Apr. 15-17. 

Okasha has long been a controversial figure even before his election as a legislator. He is known for his eccentric views and conspiracy theories and was a vocal critic of the Muslim Brotherhood's rule which lasted one year. 

Okasha was one of the public figures that supported the call to protest against the Brotherhood, whose Mohamed Mursi was president of Egypt. Mursi was militarily ousted in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule.