15 candidates in fray for Rae Bareli bypoll

Lucknow, Apr 19 (UNI) The 'shadow candidate' of expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti -- Prabha Singh Lodh -- today filed a second set of papers on the Apna Dal symbol, after submitting her first set of papers for the high-profile May Eight Rae Bareli Lok Sabha bypoll here on April 13.

Election Commission sources said here that with six more nominations including that by five independents being filed today for the bypoll, a total of 15 candidates including AICC president Sonia Gandhi were in the fray for the bypoll.

The BJP candidate and firebrand frontal leader of temple movement Vinay Katiyar will file his papers tomorrow.

EC sources further said that as against a total of 11 independents, only four candidates representing political outfits, including Ms Gandhi, Rajkumar Chowdhary (Samajwadi Party), Prabha Singh Lodh (Apna Dal) and Ram Lali Verma (BS4) were in fray.

Among these, Ram Lali Verma from the Uttar Pradesh Sports Minister R K Chowdhary's BS4 party filed his papers today.

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