Jaipur, March 30 (IANS) With withdrawal of 46 nomination papers, 239 candidates are now finally in the fray for 20 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan where the first phase of polling will take place April 17, officials said Sunday.
The second phase of polling for the remaining five seats will be held April 24.
A senior official of the Election Commission told IANS that Saturday was the last day for withdrawal of nominations.
"A total 46 candidates withdrew their nominations," the officer added.
A maximum numbers of 17 candidates are contesting from Sri Ganganagar constituency and a minimum six are fighting for the Jhalawar-Baran seat.
The main contest is between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which are fighting in all the constituencies.
The Aam Aadmi Party, contesting for the first time in the state, has fielded 18 candidates. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too is contesting in a few constituencies across the state.
Congress state president Sachin Pilot exuded confidence that the party would maintain its previous Lok Sabha poll tally.
"I am confident the Congress will be able to win in at least 20 constituencies as it did in the 2009 poll," Pilot said.
State BJP president Ashok Parnami claims that the party will emerge victorious in the poll this time because of misrule and corruption of the UPA government at the centre.
"We are working on a strategy to win on all 25 seats and we are confident of achieving this," he said.
"The Congress and the BJP are the major political parties and the fight is mainly between them. However, the AAP, that has fielded some candidates, and rebels from both the Congress and the BJP may hurt both the major parties in at least three-four constituencies," said R.K. Goswami, a political observer.
The BJP is facing problems in Barmer and Sikar where senior leader Jaswant Singh and Jat leader Subhash Maharia are fighting as Independents.
The BJP has expelled both these leaders from the party.
India-Canada Row: 'Stop hate speech and attacks on places of worship' India scolds Canada in UN
India-Canada Row: India has recommended Canada stop attacks on places of worship and curb hate speech. This proposal was presented during the review meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Kejriwal in Varanasi, says he will defeat Modi
Varanasi, March 25 (IANS) AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday vowed to defeat BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi after arriving here and facing a hostile reception from Modi
AAP lawmaker arrested for thrashing DJB engineer
New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) An AAP legislator was arrested Friday for thrashing a junior engineer of Delhi Jal Board, police said. The lawmaker dismissed the allegations.<br /><br
School Holiday Tamil Nadu: Schools are closed in Tamil Nadu's Puducherry, Karaikal today, heavy rain continues
School Holiday Tamil Nadu: Heavy rain continues in Tamil Nadu. The state government has decided to declare Thursday, November 3, 2022, a holiday in all schools in Puducherry and Karaikal districts.
Russia made an agreement with Armenia-Azerbaijan on Nagorno Karabakh
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia have signed an agreement to end the military conflict on the disputed part of Nagorno-Karabakh.
India's building energy could increase 7-fold, affect climate: IPCC author
Kolkata, March 9 (IANS) India must implement good practices to rein in its escalating energy use in buildings -- projected to increase seven-fold by mid-21st century, the author of an
Prashant Kishor's prediction, BJP will remain powerful in Indian politics for decades, Rahul Gandhi living in misunderstanding
Election strategist Prashant Kishor (PK) has once again intensified political agitation by making predictions about the BJP during his Goa visit. is heard. He said that the BJP will remain a force to
IND vs AUS: Virat Kohli shared a shocking post as soon as he reached Australia, saying – when you are about to give up…
Indian cricket team star batsman Virat Kohli shared a surprising post on social media ahead of the ODI series against Australia, which has created a stir among fans.
10 Kanwariyas died in West Bengal: Current ran in the pickup from the generator wire, they were going to offer water; 16 scorched
In West Bengal's Cooch Behar, 10 Kanwariyas died, while 16 were badly burnt due to electrocution in a pickup. They have been admitted to Jalpaiguri Hospital for treatment.
Air India: 'Tata Group' acquired in January, now the government has received so many complaints in three months
In the last three months, the government has received complaints from about one thousand passengers against the country's largest airline, Air India. These complaints are related to various reasons
