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Eighteen candidates file nominations for Gujarat bypolls

Eighteen candidates had filed their nominations for the February 22 by-election to the Jetpur and Dhrol-Jodia assembly constituencies in Gujarat until the penultimate day of filing of nominations today.

According to state election office sources in Gandhinagar, 11 candidates filed their nominations for the Jetpur (Rajkot) and seven for the Dhrol-Jodia seat (Jamnagar district) until today.

For the Jetpur seat, three Bharatiya Janata Party candidates filed their papers today. They included the official candidate, Jasumati Korat, wife of the late Savji Korat, the road and building minister whose death last year caused the by-election to the constituency.

A candidate of the Rashtriya Janata Party has also filed his nomination papers from Jetpur. In Dhrol-Jodia, Hasubhai Ghambva filed his papers as the BJP's official candidate. A Janata Dal candidate also filed his papers from this seat.

Congress spokesperson Ajit Jogi said the party had chosen Bhagwanji Venkaria and Raghavji Patel as candiates for Jetpur and Jodia constituencies respectively in Gujarat. Tomorrow is the last day of filing of nomination papers, which will be scrutinised on February 6. The last date of withdrawal of nominations is February 8 and votes are to be counted on February 24.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been nominated as the Congress candidate from Sardarpur assembly constituency in Rajasthan for the by-election there.

Gehlot, a Lok Sabha member took over the chief minister's post of the state after the November 25 assembly elections.

The party has renominated Kiran Walia to contest the Hauz Khas assembly constituency in south Delhi. She had lost narrowly to the then Delhi chief minister Sushma Swaraj of the BJP in the last assembly elections. The seat fell vacant after Swaraj resigned, opting to retain her Lok Sabha membership.

The Congress is yet to finalise the nominees for constituencies other than Jetpur and Jodia, Jogi said.

UNI

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