31 file papers for Lok Sabha polls

Gandhinagar: As many as 31 candidates filed their nomination papers on Monday for the Lok Sabha election and four candidates filed papers for the assembly byelection, according to the office of the chief electoral officer (CEO).
BJP candidates for the Valsad, Panchmahal, Bharuch, Porbandar, Surendranagar and the Ahmedabad East LS seats and Congress candidates for Banaskantha, Jamnagar, Bardoli and Surendranagar LS seats filed their papers.
Candidates from both parties held roadshows and public meetings before reaching the designated govt offices to file their nomination papers. Prominent among those who filed their papers on Monday were Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Congress MLA Geniben Thakor and a former Congressman Arjun Modhwadia, who filed his papers as a BJP candidate for the Porbandar assembly byelection. For the BJP, Mansukh Vasava from the Bharuch seat, Hasmukh Patel from the Ahmedabad East seat, Chandu Shihora from the Surendranagar seat, Dhawal Patel from the Valsad seat and Rajpalsinh Jadav from the Panchmahal seat filed their papers.
The Congress candidates who filed their nominations included Rutvik Makwana from Surendranagar, Siddharth Chaudhary from Bardoli, and J P Marvia from Jamnagar. Candidates from Adi Bharat Party, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Party, and Socialist Unity Centre of India, besides independents, also filed nomination papers.