Chavan, shooter Rajyavardhan, Muthalik enter fray on last day

Adarsh scam tainted Ashok Chavan, former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, ace shooter Rajyavardhan Rathore and BJP rebel Lal Muni Choubey were among candidates who entered the poll fray today as nominations closed for 127 seats in fourth and fifth phases of Lok Sabha poll.
Controversial Sri Ram Sene leader Pramod Muthalik, who was inducted by BJP on Sunday but dumped within hours following criticism, filed papers from Dharwad constituency in Karnataka where he will take on state BJP President Prahlad Joshi.
Battlelines were also drawn in Delhi, Haryana and Kerala, as deadline ended for withdrawal of candidature for altogether 37 seats in the three states and 56 other constituencies which will go to polls in the second and third phases.

Chavan, who had stepped down as Maharashtra Chief Minister in 2010 after his name cropped up in the Adarsh Housing scam, filed nomination papers from Nanded Lok Sabha constituency on the last day.
H D Kumaraswamy, son of JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda, filed nomination papers to take on Union Minister M Veerappa Moily from Chikkaballapur while senior Congress leader Janardhana Poojary entered the fray from Dakshina Kannada constituency in Karnataka for the April 17 poll (fifth phase) in all 28 seats in the state.
Former minister B Sriramulu, a one-time close associate of mining baron Janardhana Reddy, now in jail in Andhra Pradesh in an illegal mining case, entered the arena from Bellary Lok Sabha constituency. 225 candidates filed nominations today taking the number of candidates to 559 candidates in the 28 seats in Karnataka.

Raising the banner of revolt, senior BJP leader Lal Muni Choubey filed his nomination as an Independent for the Buxar Lok Sabha seat after being denied a ticket. His entry could spell trouble for BJP which has fielded former Bihar minister Ashwani Choubey from the Buxar seat.

A total of 143 candidates, including shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (BJP) from Jaipur-Rural LS seat and Union Minister Chandresh K Katoch from Jodhpur filed their nomination papers in Rajasthan. So far 293 candidates have filed nominations for 20 seats in the state going to poll on April 17.
Scrutiny of papers will be taken up tomorrow for the fourth and fifth phases. March 29 is the last date for withdrawal of nominations.

In Haryana, where election will be held for all 10 seats on April 10, 230 candidates were left in the fray as deadline ended for withdrawal of candidature.