4 nominations rejected, 20 candidates in fray for Rae Bareli bypoll

Rae Bareli, Apr 21 (UNI) A total of 20 candidates including AICC president Sonia Gandhi, BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, Samajwadi Party's Rajkumar Chowdhary and 16 independents are in fray for the May eight Rae Bareli bypoll.

Nomination papers of four independents including Ashok Pandey, Bharat, Sanjay Kumar and Manish Chandra Sharma were rejected by the Returning Officer and District Magistrate Jitendra Kumar during the scrutiny of papers today, Election Commission sources said.

The RO also rejected the two objections raised by former UP Minister Ravindar Shukla against Ms Gandhi's nomination, on behalf of Apna Dal candidate Prabha Singh Lodh. Mr Shukla had sought the rejection of Ms Gandhi's papers on the grounds that she was not an Indian citizen and that she had not attained education from Cambridge University, as declared by her in the affidavit attached with the nomination paper, sources added.

With the process of scrutiny complete, there were a total of 20 candidates left in fray for the prestigious bypoll including Ms Gandhi, Mr Katiyar, Mr Chowdhary and Ms Lodh -- shadow candidate of expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti, sources said.

The papers can be withdrawn by April 24.

UNI ARS PK KN2057