Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 27: Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, Jatinder Singh, the Returning Officer for Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary constituency, today rejected nomination papers of nine candidates including three covering candidates for BJP, PDP and BSP and rest Independents leaving 14 contestants in the fray for April 17 election.
The nominations were rejected due to lack of documents, less proposers etc during scrutiny of the documents which took place in the office of the Returning Officer today, official sources said.
Eight candidates, whose nomination papers were rejected, included Dr Liaquat Ali Magray of Socialist Democratic Party, Prem Nath, covering candidate for BJP, Hassan Ali, covering candidate for PDP, Madhu Bala Balgotra, covering candidate for BSP, Ranjit Singh, Surjit Singh `G’ Sitara, Puran Chand, Parveen Kumar and an unnamed candidate (who had filed documents but not mentioned his name on them), all Independents.
The rejection of nomination papers of eight candidates left 14 candidates in the fray for Udhampur-Doda constituency. However, the candidates can withdraw their nomination papers till March 29.
Fourteen candidates, who have been left in the fray now for Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat, are Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress), Dr Jitendra Singh (BJP), Mohammad Arshad Malik (PDP), Prof Bhim Singh (Nationalist Panthers Party), Anil Gupta (JKDF), Amrit Barsha (Samajwadi Party), Dharam Pal Balgotra (BSP), Sham Lal (All J&K Kissan Mazdoor Party), Bansi Lal (Aam Mazdoor Kissan Vikas Party), Girdhari Lal of Bharatiya Bahujan Party (BBP), Kanchan Sharma, covering candidate of BBP, Nazakat Hussain, Jagdish Kumar and Anil Khajuria, all Independents.
Mr Azad had filed four sets of nomination papers while Prof Bhim Singh and Anil Gupta had filed two sets of nomination papers.
Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat would go to polls on April 17.
In Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat, 19 candidates were in fray. Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat would go to polls on April 10 in first phase of election for Jammu and Kashmir.
During 2009 Lok Sabha elections, there were 21 candidates in the fray for Jammu seat while this time the number has come down to 19.
The candidates left in the fray for Jammu seat after last date of withdrawal included Jugal Kishore Sharma (BJP), Madan Lal Sharma (Congress), Yash Pal Sharma (PDP), Ashok Bhagat (BSP), Hari Chand Jhalmeria (NPP), Labha Ram Gandhi (Refugee United Front), Gursagar Singh Isher (Socialist Democratic Party), Mehar Manav Bhagat (Bharatiya Bahujan Party), Subash Chander (Kissan Mazdoor Party), Bahadur Singh Choudhary (Samajwadi Party), Vijay Kumar (Aam Mazdoor Kissan Vikas Party), Abdul Majeed Chouhan, a resident of Mendhar, Mohammad Abbas Khan of Digwar, Perseen Singh of Digwar, Poonch, Mohammad Imtiyaz of Manjakote, Rajouri, Ashok Kumar of Maheshpura, Bakshi Nagar, Satish Poonchi of Durga Nagar, Muthi, Raj Kumar and Nirmal Singh, all Independents.
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