Ashtami being an auspicious occasion as per the Hindu calendar, many Lok Sabha candidates from the Hoshiarpur parliamentary segment on Monday made a beeline at the mini-secretariat to file their nomination papers.
Congress nominee Mohinder Singh Kaypee, BJP's Vijay Sampla, Bhagwan Singh Chohan of BSP and AAP candidate Yamini Gomar arrived with their supporters to submit papers in the office of district election officer Tanu Kashyap.
In violation of the model code of conduct, BSP supporters kept raising slogans at the mini-secretariat compound while Chohan was filing his papers. Commuters had a tough time as the cavalcade of vehicles led to traffic snarls. The police struggled to cope with the traffic flow as all candidates arrived in the district electoral officer's office almost at the same time.
While the BJP and AAP had organised a road show last week, the Congress chose the nomination day to make a show of strength. Leaders from all the nine assembly segments had arrived in good numbers along with their supporters. Union minister of state for health and family welfare Santosh Chowdhary was, however, conspicuous by her absence. A rally was held in Roshan Ground in Model Town before a procession was taken out in the major markets of the city.
District Congress Committee (DCC) president Sunder Sham Arora appealed everyone to walk down to the secretariat but barring a handful of workers, others followed Kaypee's open jeep in their vehicles. A little later, BSP candidate walked through the city with his band of supporters.
{{/usCountry}}District Congress Committee (DCC) president Sunder Sham Arora appealed everyone to walk down to the secretariat but barring a handful of workers, others followed Kaypee's open jeep in their vehicles. A little later, BSP candidate walked through the city with his band of supporters.
{{/usCountry}}Sampla's son Sahil and Kaypee's wife Suman filed their papers as covering candidates. BSP leader Gurlal Saila was the covering candidate for Chohan whereas Gomar's back-up candidate Harbans Singh could not file his papers due to some "technical reasons".