Nominations filed for upcoming Uttarakhand assembly bypoll

Dehradun, Mar 30: BJP and Congress candidates on Tuesday filed their nominations for the April 17 bypoll to the Salt Assembly seat in Uttarakhand's Almora district. BJP nominee from the seat Mahesh Jeena and Congress candidate Ganga Pancholi were accompanied by a host of senior leaders of their respective parties as they filed their nominations at the Tehsil office at Bhikiyasain.

Tuesday was the last date for filing nominations for the bypoll. Pradesh BJP president Madan Kaushik, cabinet ministers Bishan Singh Chufal and Yashpal Arya, Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt and Almora MP Ajay Tamta were present as Jeena filed his nomination, Pradesh BJP media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said.

Bypoll to the Salt Assembly seat in Almora district was necessitated after the death of sitting MLA Surendra Singh Jeena due to COVID-19 in November last year. The 54-year-old Mahesh Jeena is the elder brother of Surendra Singh Jeena who was known as an energetic leader dedicated to the development of his constituency. By fielding Mahesh Jeena from the seat, the BJP hopes to reap the advantage of his late younger brother's good work in his constituency and the sympathy factor.

Congress candidate Pancholi was accompanied by PCC president Pritam Singh, general secretary Vijay Saraswat, party MLA Harish Dhami and to Bhikiyasain tehsil office to file her nomination.

Pancholi, who has entered the fray from the seat for a second time, had lost to Surendra Singh Jeena in the 2017 assembly polls by a narrow margin. There are 95,241 voters in the Salt assembly constituency out of which 48682 are men and 46559 are women.