Madhu Jain is Cong's choice for by-poll

MUMBAI:After a mega mix-up, the Congress on Monday fielded a candidate for the October 23 poll with just two minutes left for the deadline. On Sunday, just a day before the last day of filing nominations, the Congress announced the candidature of Madhu Jain, a little known party worker from Jalgaon. Her candidature stumped many Congressmen as it came against heavyweights .

But Ms Jain left disappointed on Monday morning after her candidature was abruptly scrapped to make way for former Shiv Sena MP and Union Cabinet minister for heavy industries Subodh Mohite. A resident of Nagpur, Mr Mohite was asked to leave for Mumbai to file nomination papers.

He had to take the Pune flight to reach Mumbai as the morning flight to Mumbai had already left. Unfortunately for Mr Mohite, his flight landed in Pune an hour behind schedule. Desperate to make it, the former Union minister took a private chopper that reached Mahalakshmi race course 45 minutes before the nomination closing.

His remaining hopes were dashed by traffic snarls. At 2.58 pm, two minutes before the nomination closing, Ms Jain completed the formalities. This meant she will take on the BJP���s Suresh Havare, a Navi Mumbai builder. The election has been necessitated following cancellation of house membership of BJP���s Navnath Avhad on health grounds. An ailing Avhad remained absent from the house for a prolonged period. The electoral college for the election comprises 289 members belonging to the state legislative assembly.