The rule was disallowed in India in 1996 , when the Representation of the People Act was amended to limit a candidate to contesting from at most two constituencies instead of more than two.

What changed

Before 1996, candidates could contest from several seats. The 1996 amendment inserted Section 33(7) into the Act and capped this at two constituencies.

Why it matters

The main reason given for the limit was to reduce waste of public money and administrative effort, since winning both seats forces a bypoll for the vacated seat.

Current rule

As it stands now, a person can still contest from two constituencies, but not more than two. If they win both, they must vacate one seat.

Context

There has also been recent discussion about tightening the rule further to allow only one constituency, but that has not replaced the current two-seat limit.

TL;DR: The old practice of contesting from more than two seats was disallowed in 1996; contesting from two seats is still allowed today.