Srinagar, Apr 20: The Returning Officer for the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency, Syeed Fakhrudin Hamid, announced that 21 candidate nominations have been accepted following scrutiny, while four nomination papers were rejected due to substantial errors in Form 26.
Commencing the scrutiny process on Saturday, April 20th at 10 am, a total of 28 nomination papers were received. Among these, three candidates submitted their nominations twice, resulting in a total of 25 candidates. After meticulous scrutiny, 21 nomination papers were found to be in order, while four others were rejected due to errors in Form 26 (affidavit).
The rejected nominations belonged to Sameer Ahmad Parrey (Independent candidate), Abdul Ganie Bhat (Bharat Jodo Party), Mohammad Elyas (Ristriye Jan Cranti Party), and Karimjeet Singh (Independent). Despite requests for adjournment and a subsequent re-scrutiny after 3 pm, the errors persisted, leading to the rejection of their respective nomination papers.
As a result, the total number of candidates vying for the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary seat now stands at 21.
Candidates have until April 22nd to withdraw their nominations. The withdrawal must be personally executed by the candidate or through an authorized polling agent or proposer using Form 5 submission. An authorized letter must accompany submissions made through a polling agent or proposer, as Form 5 submissions via other means will not be entertained. Withdrawal Form 5 can be submitted at the same location where the nomination was originally lodged with the Returning Officer.
The 28 nominations received were in accordance with guidelines permitting candidates to submit up to four nominations. With three candidates submitting twice, the nominations were accepted sequentially by the Returning Officer, resulting in a total of 28 nominations for 25 candidates. However, following the rejection of four nominations due to significant errors, the number of candidates in contention now stands at 21, ahead of the withdrawal deadline.
