In high-stake Gujarat Assembly polls, 1,703 candidates file nominations for 89 seats in first phase

Ahmedabad: As many as 1,703 candidates have filed nominations for the 89 constituencies to be covered in the first phase of Assembly polls in Gujarat on 9 December. Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations for the first phase of elections which would cover 19 districts, mostly of Saurashtra and south Gujarat. [caption id=“attachment_4223279” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] Of these nominations, independents account for 788, while 523 candidates of national parties such as the BJP and Congress have also submitted their papers between 14 to 21 November (the stipulated period), said a release issued by Gujarat’s Chief Electoral Officer BB Swain. Remaining 392 candidates either belong to state-level parties which are registered outside Gujarat (such as the AAP and JD(U)), or small non-recognised but registered parties, such as Lokshahi Satta Party, Yuva Sarkar and Insaniyat Party. For 89 seats, 193 candidates of the BJP and 196 candidates of the Congress have submitted nominations, as parties usually ask one or two ‘dummy candidates’ to file their papers for each seat. Dummy candidates are expected to withdraw nominations by the last day of withdrawal, 24 November. The highest number of nominations, 42, were submitted for the Limbayat seat in Surat, while only five nominations were filed for Gandevi (ST) seat in Navsari district. The polling for the two-phase election for a total of 182 seats will take place on 9 and 14 December, and votes will be counted on 18 December.