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.
No swine flu in Tripura, Girl tests positive in Nagaland
Agartala/Kohima, Feb 19 (IANS) There has been no case of swine flu so far in Tripura, but the s
On this Diwali, there is a possibility of a loss of 50 thousand crore rupees to the exporters of
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said it is in the mutual interest of both Ind
IRDAI to issue regulations to govern Lloyd's syndicates
Chennai, March 13 (IANS) India's insurance regulator will
Rain leads to Chilly Wednesday, Thursday to be Colder (Lead)
New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) Overnight rain lead to a chilly Wednesday, as the maximum temperature
Banks issue notices to Nagarjuna's studio to recover loans
Hyderabad, March 23 (IANS) Two public sector banks have issued notices to leading Telugu actor
'Crusades still Relevant in today's Era of Religious Conflict'
Jaipur, Feb 4 (IANS) Study of the Crusades - "the first big clash of civilisations" - is still
Foggy Morning in Delhi Delays over 30 Trains
New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) Overcast and foggy conditions Friday morning in the national capital le
Modi walks through PMO, posts picture
New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday he "took a round" of
'Poster boys' of Bharat Jodo Yatra: Walk 10 km ahead of Yatra, put up poster-banners
Today is the 6th day of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh. The journey is in Indore. There