BJP to probe their party candidate's withdrawal at Akola

Nagpur, Jan 20 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today declared that it will conduct an inquiry into the withdrawal of the party's official nominee from a ward, for the forthcoming February 1 elections to the Akola Municipal Corporation (AMC), paving the way for the unopposed election of the Congress nominee there.

BJP Maharashtra unit chief Nitin Gadkari told UNI that an inquiry would be conducted into the circumstances under which the party candidate from Akola's ward number 55 (Harihar Peth) Lata Kumre opted out of the race.

Ms Kumre was among the three candidates who withdrew their nominations on the last day of withdrawals yesterday, thereby leaving Congress nominee Kokila Gajanan Daberao without any competitor.

The other two candidates who withdrew were Rekha Gedam of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the lone independent Sangita Atram.

Elections would now be fought from 70 of the 71 wards in Akola city, where 500 candidates are left in the fray now.

UNI