Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The scrutiny of nomination forms filed by candidates was carried out on Wednesday. In all, 97 nomination forms were cancelled due to various reasons, including underage candidates, lack of signatures, missing affidavits, and other discrepancies. The forms of 1,720 candidates were found to be valid.
The scrutiny was conducted at the offices of nine returning officers. The process began at the returning officers’ offices at 11 am. The nomination forms of several stalwart candidates were cancelled due to minor reasons. The dreams of aspirants willing to contest the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) elections were dashed on Wednesday.
The last date for submitting nomination forms was December 30. All political parties had directed aspirants to file their forms. As a result, the nine election offices were crowded with aspirants and their supporters.
The scrutiny of forms was done ward-wise before the returning officers. The forms of several stalwart candidates were cancelled due to minor reasons. Candidates and their supporters tried to oppose the decisions of the returning officers. Many candidates raised objections against their opponents. As a result, the scrutiny process was delayed, and at some places, it continued till 8 pm.
The forms were cancelled as many candidates did not follow legal procedures while filling them out. Most candidates were not aware of the rules. Many submitted affidavits on plain paper. Some notarised affidavits did not bear the signatures of lawyers. The names of proposers and seconders were not found in the final voter list. Some candidates were underage. Many did not possess caste validity certificates or receipts for the same. Hence, their forms were cancelled.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations is January 2 at 3 pm. After the withdrawal process is completed, the final picture of the contest for the CSMC elections will become clear. Election symbols will be allotted on January 3.
