Gujarat Assembly polls: 1,362 nominations filed for 1st phase

As many as 1,362 candidates have filed the nomination forms for the first phase of Gujarat Assembly polls in 89 seats, state election officials said on Tuesday.

Among notable candidates who have filed their nomination for the first phase are Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party's CM candidate Bhupendra Patel, who is contesting from Ghatlodia seat in Ahmedabad, and Aam Aadmi Party's chief ministerial candidate Isudan Gadhvi, who is contesting from Khambhalia seat in Devbhumi Dwarka district.

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The Election Commission started accepting the forms for the first phase on November 5 and Monday was the last day for filing the nominations. The elections for 89 out of the total 182 seats in Gujarat will be held on December 1. As per details shared by the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer, nominations have been filed for the first phase by candidates in Kutch, Surendranagar, Morbi, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Botad, Narmada, Bharuch, Surat, Tapi, Dangs, Navsari and Valsad districts, under Saurashtra-Kutch and south Gujarat regions. Besides, 95 candidates have also filed the nomination forms for the second phase of elections to be held in 93 seats on December 5.

These nominations have been filed for seats in Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Aravalli, Ahmedabad, Kheda, Panchmahal, Mehsana, Dahod, and Vadodara districts in Gujarat's north and central regions. The last date for filing of nominations for the second phase is November 17. The scrutiny of nominations for the first phase of polls is on Tuesday and for the second phase on November 18. The last dates for the withdrawal of candidature for the first and second phases are November 17 and 21, respectively. The counting of votes for all the seats will be taken up on December 8.