734 nominations filed for Maharashtra Assembly polls

MUMBAI: As many as 734 candidates, including Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil from Shirdi and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat from Sangamner filed their nomination papers today for the October 15 Maharashtra Assembly elections, taking the total number of nominations filed to 1,054.

According to sources in Maharashtra State Electoral Office here, 734 candidates filed their papers in different constituencies, taking the total number of nominations filed to 1,054 so far.

Prominent among those who filed their papers were Textile Minister Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan (Chandivali) and Horticulture Minister Jeetendra Awhad (Mumbra).

Congress leader Kripashankar Singh (Kalina) and Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) Nawab Malik also filed their papers from Anushakti Nagar.

Meanwhile as many as 23 nomination papers were filed today in Nagpur district, though candidates from all major political parties here are yet to file their nominations.

Though the Congress has released its first list of candidates which include 36 candidates in the Vidarbha region, they are likely to file their papers only on the last day of filing nominations, September 27.

However, BJP candidates in Nagpur are likely to file their papers tomorrow, party sources said.