Nov 22, 2018
Today is the last day for withdrawal of nominations for the Rajasthan and Telangana Assembly elections. The last day for filing candidature was Monday, while the scrutiny of nominations was held on Tuesday. Both states will go to polls in a single phase on the 7th of next month. While Rajasthan has a 200-member Assembly, Telangana has 119 constituencies.

In Rajasthan, both BJP and Congress are trying to convince their rebel candidates to withdraw their nominations. Our correspondent reports that around 35 leaders of Congress and more than 25 of BJP have filed nominations against their own party’s declared candidates.

Nomination of 5 Ministers and several sitting MLAs as rebel candidates are causing the big challenge for BJP. While 4 former ministers, one former union minister and many former MLAs of Congress as rebel candidates are in the fray which may disturb the calculations of the party.

Congress deployed the team of its central leaders to settle the rebel candidates in favour of the party including Senior leaders Gulab Nabi Azad and Mukul Vasnik. In BJP CM Vasundhara Raje, National Vice President Om Mathur and Gajendra Singh Shekhavat are in touch with rebel candidates and trying to convince them to withdraw their nominations.

However, it is yet to clear that how many rebel candidates withdraw their nominations and how many remain in the fray.”A high-level team of the Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat, will be on a two-day visit to Telangana from today. Talking to AIR this morning, Mr Rawat said, the team will review the poll preparedness.

In Telangana, the Congress and Telangana Jana Samithi are making all-out efforts to convince rebels to support the official People’s Alliance candidates and not to hamper the electioneering. Senior Congress leaders including state in-charge RC Khuntia, Ahmed Patel and Veerappa Moily, besides Puducherry Chief Minister Narayanasamy, Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Uttam Kumar Reddy are making efforts to pacify rebels to withdraw their nominations. Congress rebels filed nominations against official candidates in over 15 constituencies in the state.
===========================
Courtesy