Rahul, Koshiyari enter race, nominations commence for 8th leg

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister B S Koshiyari were among the prominent candidates who entered the electoral race as filing of nominations for the eighth and penultimate round of the marathon Lok Sabha polls commenced today.
Flanked by his mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka and her husband Robert Vadra, Rahul, seeking re-election for a 3rd third consecutive term from the family pocketborough Amethi, submitted his documents to the Returning Officer.
Soon after filing his papers, the 43-year-old Gandhi scion, who is pitted against BJP's Smriti Irani and Kumar Vishwas of the Aam Aadmi party, told reporters: "we will have a good victory".

Koshiyari was among six hopefuls who filed their papers on the opening day in the hill state of Uttarakhand.
Entering the fray from the prestigious Nainital seat, Koshiyari, accompanied by state BJP chief Tirath Singh Rawat and 4-time MP Bachchi Singh Rawat filed his papers before the Returning Officer at Rudrapur.
No nominations were filed for Haridwar Lok Sabha seat on day one.

The Election Commission today issued a notification setting in motion the process of filing nomiations for the eighth leg of the nine-phased Lok Sabha polls.
In this phase, voting will on held on May 7 in 64 Lok Sabha constituencies spread over seven states.

The last date of filing nominations is April 19, scrutiny will take place on April 21 and withdawals can be effected till April 26.