Kathua/Jammu: Eight more candidates, including Congress nominee Choudhary Lal Singh, filed their nomination papers from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency which is going to polls on April 19.
Singh, who recently rejoined the Congress, organised a massive rally shortly after submitting his papers in the office of the returning officer in Kathua.
The rally was attended by leaders of INDIA alliance parties, including the National Conference and PDP besides the chairman of the National Panthers Party (NPP) and former minister Harsh Dev Singh.
All India Congress Committee in charge of Jammu and Kashmir Bharatsinh Solanki and Pradesh Congress Committee president Vikar Rasool Wani were among other prominent people who addressed the rally, seeking votes for the INDIA bloc candidate.
Others who filed their nomination papers included the ‘cover’ candidate for Congress’ Divya Suraj Partap Singh, Balwan Singh of another faction of the NPP, Rajesh Manchanda of Rashtriya Krantikari Samajwadi Party, Sachin Gupta from Inqilab Vikas Dal, Manoj Kumar from Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal and independents Mehraj Din and Pankaj Sharma, an official said.
A ‘cover’ or substitute candidate is fielded by political parties in case the candidature of the main candidate is rejected.
With the filing of nomination papers by eight candidates today, the total tally of candidates contesting from Udhampur has gone up to 15. They include Union Minister Jitendra Singh and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) vice chairman G M Saroori.
The last date for filing nominations for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections ended on Wednesday. The scrutiny of papers will be held on March 28, while a candidate can withdraw his/her nomination before 3 pm on March 30.
Addressing the rally in support of Congress candidate Lal Singh, NPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh said his party is part of the INDIA bloc and “we will together defeat the ruling party”.
“BJP gave us nothing but took away everything from us. They destroyed the historic state, bifurcated and downgraded it to a Union territory. They have deprived us of democracy and it is time to oust them from power to safeguard the country and its institutions,” he said.
Solanki, Vikar and Lal Singh expressed confidence in winning all the five seats of Jammu and Kashmir for the INDIA bloc.
