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Nanda's nomination for Rajya Sabha rejected

The nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha election of arms dealer and candidate of rebel Bharatiya Janata Party legislators, Suresh Nanda, was rejected on Monday.

Nanda's nomination papers for both the biennial elections and the by-poll have been rejected on the ground that his residential address in Uttar Pradesh, as required under laws, was found to be bogus by the Returning Officer R P Pandey, sources said.

Nanda's entry into the fray on the basis of support from ten BJP rebel MLAs had set the cat among the pigeons in all the political parties, especially the BJP-BSP combine fighting dissidence.

A contest in the election would have exposed the parties to possible cross-voting.

With rejection of Nanda's papers, there are ten candidates in the fray for ten seats, who would now get elected unopposed.

As the papers came up for scrutiny on Saturday and after he was allegedly beaten and threatened, Nanda had filed his withdrawal application on the ground that he did not want to vitiate the political atmosphere in the state.

The Election Commission, which was urged by the Returning Officer for clarifications on the objections to his residential status raised by the parties, first stayed the scrutiny.

Later, it gave a nod saying Nanda's name was wrongly deleted from the electoral rolls in Ghaziabad. But it is understood that the Commission gave a second communication in which it found that the claim regarding his residential address was bogus.

Meanwhile, Nanda on Sunday had petitioned the Commission asking it to direct the RO not to accept his withdrawal papers on the grounds it was given under duress and intimidation by political parties.

EARLIER REPORT:
13 nominations for 11 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh

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