Bajwa, Dullo, Malik file nominations for RS from Punjab

Former Punjab Congress chiefs Partap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo and BJP candidate Shwet Malik today filed their nomination papers for three of the five Rajya Sabha seats from the state.
They filed their papers before the Returning Officer here, a Punjab Vidhan Sabha spokesman said.
Earlier on March 9, sitting Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) members Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Naresh Gujral had filed their nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha seats from Punjab, the election for which is slated for March 21.
Dhindsa and Gujral, who is the son of former prime minister I K Gujral, are senior leaders of SAD and have been re-nominated.

Term of office of five members of Rajya Sabha elected from Punjab will expire in April.
The MPs whose terms are expiring are Ashwani Kumar (Cong), Avinash Rai Khanna (BJP), Sukhdev Singh (Akali Dal), Manohar Singh Gill (Cong) and Naresh Gujral (Akali Dal).

Today was the last date of filing of nominations. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 12 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 14.
The hours of poll will be 9 AM to 4 PM.
Congress yesterday decided not to re-nominate former union ministers Kumar and Gill and named Bajwa and Dullo as its candidates.

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh was present when Bajwa and Dullo filed their nominations.
BJP nominated former Amritsar mayor Malik as the party nominee for Rajya Sabha, as the term of Avinash Rai Khanna is coming to an end.