A total of 75 candidates, including Col Sona Ram of BJP and Sachin Pilot of Congress, filed their nomination papers in Rajasthan today, taking the total number of nominations filed for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls in the state to 147 so far.
Col Sona Ram, who recently quit Congress after losing Assembly seat here in last December, filed his nomination papers from Barmer seat where BJP's stalwart Jaswant Singh filed his papers yesterday as an Independent candidate. Singh filed his nomination as an Independent candidate after he was denied party ticket for the seat.
Union minister and PCC president Sachin Pilot filed his papers from the Ajmer Lok Sabha seat, from where his mother Rama Pilot also submitted her papers as a substitute candidate.
BJP's Hari Om Singh Rathore filed his nomination from Rajsamand seat while party's sitting Jaipur MP Mahesh Joshi also filed his papers to seek re-election from Jaipur.
Congress' four other candidates-- Munni from Pali, Ashok Chandna from Bhilwara, Pramod Kumar from Jhalawar-Baran, and Resham from Banswara-- also submitted their nomination papers, a spokesman of the election commission said.
As per a tentative list of the CEO, so far 147 candidates have filed nominations for 20 LS seats going to poll on April 17, the spokesman said.
Tomorrow is the last date for filing nomination papers. The scrutiny of the papers will take place on March 27 and withdrawal of nomination would be allowed by March 29.
In the first phase, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur-rural, Jaipur, Ajmer, Nagaur, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar-Baran will go to polls.
In the second phase, Alwar, Bharatpur Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Tonk-Sawaimadhopur will go to polls on April 24.
Election notification for this phase will be issued on March 29.
