49 candidates file nominations in Punjab on Thursday

Forty-nine candidates filed their nomination papers on Thursday, the fourth day of the process, to contest the Lok Sabha election to be held in single phase in the state on May 19, a senior poll panel official said.

So far, 107 nominations have been filed, Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju said in a release here.

Congress candidates Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Amar Singh, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Akali nominee D S Guru, Apna Punjab Party candidate Dharmavira Gandhi were prominent among those who filed their papers.

Warring, Singh, Bittu, Guru and Gandhi filed their nomination from Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala, respectively.

AAP candidate Peter Masih filed his papers from Gurdaspur seat while Punjab Ekta Party nominee Paramjit Kaur Khalra from Khadoor Sahib seat.

The nomination process will continue till April 29.

The scrutiny of the nominations will be done on April 30 and the last date of withdrawal of candidature will be May 2. Voting will be held for all the 13 seats on May 19.

Congress, Akali Dal and BJP have announced their candidates from all 13 seats in the state.

AAP and Punjab Democratic Alliance comprising several political outfits Sukhpal Khaira-led Punjabi Ekta Party, Dharamvira Gandhi-led Nawan Punjab Party, BSP, Lok Insaaf Party, CPI and Revolutionary Marxist Party of India have also fielded candidates.

SAD (Taksali), a breakaway faction of the SAD, is also testing political waters from Anandpur Sahib and Sangrur.