Gzb bypolls: BJP, SP candidates file nominations on last day

Ghaziabad: On the last date for filing nominations for the Nov 13 bypolls, 19 candidates, including BJP's Sanjeev Sharma and SP's Singhraj Jatav, filed their papers on Friday. Twenty-seven candidates, among them 13 Independents, are in the fray for the Ghaziabad assembly seat.In a major show of strength, BJP heavyweights MP Atul Garg, Sahibabad MLA and cabinet minister Sunil Sharma, Muradnagar MLA Ajitpal Tyagi, mayor Sunita Dayal and several party workers accompanied the party candidate to file his nomination papers."BJP will win a third time in a row from the assembly seat and the Opposition will be left to bite the dust," said Sanjeev Sharma after filing his papers.Sanjeev Sharma, who joined BJP in 2007, has held several posts including that of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha's president. In 2019, he was elevated as the party's mahanagar president from Ghaziabad, and under him, BJP won the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2022 assembly election.Singhraj Jatav, who was named Samajwadi Party's candidate just a day ago, also filed his papers on the day. A former municipal councillor in the city, Jatav was originally with BSP but joined SP two years ago claiming that his ‘community' was not getting proper representation. In a political career spanning 25 years, Jatav has been instrumental in formulating policies on water conservation.While the main contest is likely to be between BJP and SP, BSP's Parmanand Garg and Satpal Choudhary of Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) are among the key contenders for the seat.Returning officer Santosh Upadhyay said the scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on Monday, and the last date for withdrawing names is Oct 30. According to the revised electoral rolls, released by the ECI on Oct 16, over 4.6 lakh, of them 5,449 first-timers, are eligible to cast votes in the byelections.
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