LS polls: Nomination process concludes in Delhi, 269 candidates file papers

The nomination process in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections concluded on Monday, with 269 candidates filing their papers.

Filing of nominations began on April 29.

Among the prominent candidates who filed their nominations on Monday were the Congress' North East Delhi nominee Kanhaiya Kumar and former AAP leader Raaj Kumar Anand, who joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and is contesting from the prestigious New Delhi seat.

Kumar, who is contesting against the BJP's incumbent MP Manoj Tiwari, has movable assets of Rs 8 lakh.

He also has Rs 2.65 lakh in immovable assets, according to his self-sworn poll affidavit.

Kumar holds a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Anand declared total assets of more than Rs 17 crore. He and his wife have vehicles worth Rs 51 lakh.

According to data shared by the Chief Electoral Officer's office, 50 candidates -- the highest among the national capital's seven seats -- have filed their nomination papers from North East Delhi.

South Delhi has the lowest number of contestants at 28 while 37 people are contesting from the Chandni Chowk seat.

Thirty-eight candidates are contesting from New Delhi and West Delhi each while 39 are in contention in East Delhi and North West Delhi each.
 

The nomination papers will be scrutinised on Tuesday and the last date for withdrawing candidature is May 9.

Delhi goes to the polls on May 25.

The national capital has 1.51 crore eligible voters, including 81.63 lakh men, 69.37 lakh women and 1,215 people from the third gender. Voting will take place in more than 13,000 polling booths across the city.

The contest in Delhi is between the BJP and the AAP-Congress combine. The BJP, which won all seven seats in the national capital in 2014 and 2019, is seeking a third consecutive sweep.

AAP is contesting from East Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi and West Delhi while the Congress, its INDIA bloc ally, has fielded candidates in North East Delhi, North West Delhi and Chandni Chowk.

The BSP is also contesting all seven seats.