Lok Sabha elections: 64 file papers for second phase of polls, police nab drunk candidate

PATNA: Altogether 64 candidates filed their nomination papers on Tuesday for the five Lok Sabha seats going to the polls in the second phase on April 18. The Election Commission also cancelled the papers of 13 contestants after scrutiny in four constituencies for various reasons.


In a related development, one Rajeev Kumar Singh, who had come to file his papers for the Purnia seat on Tuesday, was arrested soon after he came out of the district electoral officer’s chamber. Rajeev, a resident of Nagrah under the Naugachhia sub-division in Bhagalpur district, was drunk. He was sent jail.

Purnia excise superintendent Omprakash said, “The breathalyser test confirmed that Rajiv had consumed liquor.” Purnia DM Pradeep Kumar Jha said Rajeev was arrested soon after he submitted his papers. Bihar is a dry state where sell and consumption of liquor is banned.

Officials at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Patna said while 14 nomination papers were filed for the Kishanganj constituency, 13 each were filed for Banka and Katihar and 12 each for Bhagalpur and Purnia seats. Tuesday was the last date for filing papers for the second phase of polls.

Prominent among those who filed their papers included Md Javed of Congress and Syed Mahmood Ashraf of JD(U) from Kishanganj. BJP MLC Ashok Kumar Agrawal has filed his papers as an independent candidate from Katihar where Dulal Chand Goswami is the JD(U) nominee. Earlier, Uday Singh of Congress and sitting JD(U) MP Santosh Kushwaha had filed their papers for Purnia seat.

Those whose papers were cancelled on Tuesday were from Nawada, Jamui, Gaya and Aurangabad, which will go to the polls in the first phase on April 11. Altogether 60 candidates had filed their papers from the four constituencies.

Authoritative sources said while 7 nomination papers were cancelled in Aurangabad, 5 in Nawada and one in Jamui. CEO (Bihar) H R Srinivasa has convened a meeting of senior police and administrative officials of Saharsa (Kosi) division to take stock of the security arrangements. ADG (headquarters) Kundan Krishnan will also attend the meeting.