Poll nominations in state begin today

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 15

The electoral process for parliamentary polls in Haryana will be set in motion on Tuesday with the Election Commission of India issuing notification for the sixth phase of Lok Sabha poll.

All 10 seats in Haryana will to go to the polls in the sixth phase on May 12 along with Bihar (8), Jharkhand (4), Madhya Pradesh (8), Uttar Pradesh (14), West Bengal (8) and Delhi (7). The last date for filing nominations is April 23.

Joint Chief Electoral Officer Haryana Inder Jeet said a candidate could present nomination papers on the day of the gazette notification or any day fixed for filing of nominations which was not a public holiday.

He said no nomination would be received on April 17 on account of a public holiday and also on April 21, being a Sunday. The BJP has announced its candidates for all 10 parliamentary constituencies while the Congress has announced six candidates so far. Among other political parties, the JJP-AAP alliance and the INLD have not announced their candidates for any seat so far.

In 2014, the BJP had won seven of the 10 seats. The INLD had won two seats and the Congress one. The Loktantra Suraksha Party, floated by rebel BJP MP from Kurukshetra Raj Kumar Saini, which is in alliance with the BSP, is also in the fray.

A keen contest is expected between the Congress and the BJP. Political observers will watch with interest as to what impact the split in the Chautala clan will have on the outcome of these parliamentary polls in Haryana.