15 candidates in fray in GB Nagar after scrutiny

The nomination process for contesting in the second phase of elections began on March 28 and April 8 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature

Of the total 41 nominations received from candidates for the Gautam Budh Nagar parliamentary seat, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) website, 15 nominations were accepted after the scrutiny process on Friday while 22 were rejected.

Among the candidates whose nominations were accepted are Mahendra Nagar from Samajwadi Party (SP), Mahesh Sharma from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Rajendra Singh Solanki from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). (HT Photo)

Gautam Budh Nagar district goes to polls on April 26 in the second phase of elections.

The nomination process for contesting in the second phase of elections began on March 28 and April 8 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature.

On Thursday evening, after the time for filing nominations ended, a total of 41 nominations was received in Gautam Budh Nagar, according to the ECI website. These include nominations filed by candidates of major political parties, independents and those from lesser-known parties, officials said.

“As many as ​15 forms belonging to the candidates including those from recognized political parties, were found acceptable during the scrutiny process. The others were rejected citing issues related to errors/mistakes found in nomination forms, said DM and chief electoral officer, Gautam Budh Nagar, Manish Verma on Friday.

Among the candidates whose nominations were accepted are Mahendra Nagar from Samajwadi Party (SP), Mahesh Sharma from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Rajendra Singh Solanki from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Others included eight candidates from registered political parties, and four from lesser known parties, said officials.

According to officials, April 8 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature. “If anyone on the accepted list withdraws his/her nomination, then the list of contesting candidates will be shortened. In case no withdrawal happens, we will have 15 contesting candidates for the Gautam Budh Nagar parliamentary seat,” said district magistrate Manish Verma.

On Thursday night, Gautam Budh Nagar administration had released a list of 34 nominations and uploaded them on the website of the Election Commission of India till late Friday morning.

Among the candidates whose nominations got rejected include Shyoraj Singh, Rodas Gupta, Ritu Sharma and others, who had filed nominations from independents and other lesser-known parties.

Notably, Thursday, which was the last day for filing of nominations, saw the maximum turnout of candidates, with nearly 16 candidates filing their papers during the day.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as many as 21 candidates had filed nominations but only 13 contested the elections while the remaining eight were rejected.

The Lok Sabha constituency of Gautam Budh Nagar, which comprises the twin cities Noida and Greater Noida, covers five assemble constituencies and has over 2.6 million registered voters.

The counting of votes will take place on June 4 and the election process will be completed by June 6, according to district administration.