Lok Sabha Polls: 29 candidates file nominations in Punjab

CHANDIGARH: Twenty nine candidates, including former Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, belonging to different political parties filed their nomination papers on the fourth day of filing of papers for the April 30 Lok Sabha polls in the state.

With this, the total number of candidates who have filed their nominations so far in different parliamentary constituencies has increased to 77.

Dhindsa filed his papers from Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency as a nominee of SAD.

Among those who filed their papers today were Daljit Singh of AAP from Amritsar, Sucha Singh Mann of BSP from Khadoor Sahib, Manjeet Kaur (Independent) from Jalandhar, Om Parkash Jakhu (Independent) from Hoshiarpur, Sahib Himmat Singh Shergill of AAP from Anandpur Sahib and Jai Parkash Jain (Independent) from Ludhiana, Punjab's Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Supreet Singh Gulati said.

No nominations can be filed on April 6 and April 8, both public holidays being Sunday and Ram Naumi, respectively.

The filing of nomination will continue till April 9, scrutiny will take place the next day and withdrawal is allowed till April 12.

About 1.92 crore voters, including 90 lakh women, would cast their votes at 21,957 polling stations, including 15,463 in rural areas, from 7 am to 6 pm on April 30.

Five constituencies of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Patiala have been classified as "expenditure sensitive" constituencies.

The other eight constituencies from Punjab are Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar (SC), Fatehgarh Sahib, Hoshiarpur (SC), Anandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Sangrur and Faridkot.

Of the 13 Lok Sabha seats, at present, Congress has eight MPs, SAD four and its alliance partner BJP one.