Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI) conducted a thorough scrutiny of 1,488 nominations filed for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Out of these, a significant number, 428, were rejected following the examination of the candidates’ submitted papers. The scrutiny process extended until late Saturday evening, resulting in the acceptance of 1,060 nominations.
A total of 893 candidates submitted their papers, among which 268 were rejected due to multiple nominations filed either by the candidates themselves or by their supporters. This left 625 candidates remaining in contention after the completion of the scrutiny process.
Malkajgiri, the largest constituency in the State, witnessed the highest number of rejected nominations, with 115 out of 177 being dismissed, leaving only 62 accepted candidates. Similarly, Medak Lok Sabha constituency boasts the highest number of candidates in the fray, with 53 contenders, followed closely by Bhongir with 51.
Hyderabad constituency reported 38 candidates in the fray post-scrutiny.
Peddapalli have 49 candidates while Warangal SC and Secunderabad, along with Chevella, each have 46 candidates vying for the seat. On the contrary, Adilabad constituency has the lowest number of candidates in the fray, with only 13 contenders, while Nagarkurnool, another reserved constituency, has slightly more at 21.
The number of contesting candidates may further decrease by Monday evening, which marks the last date for withdrawal of nominations. Despite potential reductions, the presence of a large number of candidates suggests the likelihood of multi-cornered contests in the upcoming elections.
