UP Rajya Sabha polls: BJP’s Syed Zafar files nomination

Lucknow: Nomination papers of BJP candidate Syed Zafar for the Rajya Sabha bypolls were filed here on Saturday.

According to party sources, Islam was not well and could not file his papers personally. Main proposer and senior minister Suresh Khanna filed two sets of papers before returning officer B B Dubey in the absence of the candidate.

Several senior party leaders, including ministers Suresh Khanna, Swami Prasad Maurya, Swati Singh, Ramapati Shastri, Rajendra Pratap Singh and state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh were present on occasion.

September 1 is the last date for the filing of nominations and the scrutiny will be held on September 2. September 4 is the last date for the withdrawal of nominations and the elections are scheduled for September 11.

The election has been necessitated due to the death of former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh.

Islam’s victory is all but certain due to the BJP’s overwhelming majority in the state assembly.