Udhampur: 12 Candidates Cleared After Nomination Scrutiny for Lok Sabha Elections
Dr. Rakesh Minhas, the Returning Officer for the 4-Udhampur Parliamentary Constituency, oversaw the scrutiny of nomination papers submitted by candidates for the upcoming 18th parliamentary elections. The scrutiny process took place at the office of the Returning Officer in the D C Office complex.
After a thorough examination, the nomination forms of 12 candidates were found valid. These include Amit Kumar from the Bahujan Samaj Party, Balwan Singh from the J&K National Panthers Party (Bhim), Dr. Jitendra Singh from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Ch Lal Singh from the Indian National Congress, and Manoj Kumar from the Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal. Additionally, Dr. Pankaj Sharma, Rajesh Manchanda, Sachin Gupta, Swarn Veer Singh Jaral, Ghulam Mohd Saroori, Mohd Ali Gujjar, and Mehraj Din were also validated as Independent candidates.
However, the candidature of three candidates—Prem Nath from the Bharatiya Janata Party, Tilak Raj of the Bahujan Samaj Party, and Divya Suraj Partap Singh from the Indian National Congress—was deemed null and void. This was due to their status as covering candidates, as the candidature of the main candidates from their respective parties had been formally approved.
The scrutiny process was conducted in the presence of General Observer for 4-Udhampur, PC Dheeraj Kumar, contesting candidates, and representatives of political parties. According to the election notification, candidates have until 03:00 pm on March 30, 2024, to withdraw their nominations at the office of the Returning Officer.
The constituency is slated for elections in the first phase of the General Elections, scheduled for April 19.
