Eight candidates were now in the fray for the October 15 Kandhamal Lok Sabha by-election in Odisha after the nomination of an independent aspirant was revoked during scrutiny today.
The nomination papers of independent candidate Subhendu Kumar Behera were rejected by the returning officer during scrutiny due to lack of some inputs, official sources said.
The nomination papers of eight candidates were found valid during the scrutiny process, they said, adding a total of nine aspirants had filed their nomination for the by-poll.
The date for withdrawal of papers has been fixed on September 29.
The ruling BJD has fielded Pratyusha Rajeswari Singh, widow of former Kandhamal MP Hemendra Chandra Singh for the by-election which was necessitated due to the demise of her husband on September 5.
Abhimanyu Behera of Congress and BJP's Rudramadhab Ray are among those who have filed their nomination for the by-election.
