Nomination of AAP candidate, 7 others rejected for UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar seat

Aam Aadmi Party's Shweta Sharma was among the eight candidates whose nomination papers for Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha seat were rejected during the process of scrutiny on Tuesday, officials said.

Sharma's papers were rejected as she failed to find 10 mandatory proposers required for any candidate who is not from a recognised national or regional party in a state, they said.

"She said in her nomination papers that she is a candidate from the Aam Aadmi Party. AAP is not a recognised regional party in Uttar Pradesh. It is not recognised as a national party by the Election Commission as well. It is recognised in Delhi though. This was a flaw in her claim," District Magistrate and Returning Officer Brajesh Narain Singh told PTI.

The final position on the total number of candidates in the fray for the Gautam Buddh Nagar seat will, however, become clear on Wednesday -- the last day for withdrawal of nomination, the officials said.

A total of 21 nomination papers were filed till the last day of the process on Monday, and 13 of them have been approved, Singh said.

"Among the nominees whose candidatures have been approved are those from the BJP, the Congress and the SP-BSP alliance," he said, after scrutiny of the nomination papers.

Two of the 13 candidates whose nominations have been approved are independents, Singh added.

The BJP has fielded Union minister and sitting MP Mahesh Sharma (59) from the seat, while the Congress has fielded Arvind Kumar Singh (30), who lost from Aligarh in 2014.

The Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance has fielded Satveer Nagar (37).

Spread across Noida, Dadr, Jewar, Sikandrabad and Khurja assembly constituencies, Gautam Buddh Nagar goes to polls on April 11 during the first leg of the seven-phased general elections.

Results will be announced on May 23.