Nifty ends lower for the third straight day

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Nifty fell for a third consecutive session on Thursday to hit its lowest level in two weeks as three state-run companies, including Oil and Natural Gas Corp , slumped after the government announced it would pare its stakes in them.

The benchmark BSE Sensex provisionally closed 0.23 percent lower at 26,995.87 points, while the broader Nifty fell 0.1 percent to 8,085.70.

Shares in ONGC provisionally fall 3.56 percent to 429.55 rupees.

(Reporting by Indulal PM; Editing by Prateek Chatterjee)