New Delhi: The presidential notification on Monday set in motion the electoral process for the month-long Lok Sabha elections as two sitting MPs and a state minister were among 100 hopefuls who entered the fray on the opening day of filing nominations.
Afzal Ansari (Bahujan Samaj Party), Nikhil Kumar (Congress), both sitting MPs, and Minister for Rural Works in Bihar Brishan Patel jumped into the arena as the world's largest democratic exercise to elect a 543-seat House got underway.
As many as 12 candidates submitted their documents in Chhattisgarh, eight each in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, seven in Kerala and over 50 from other states and Union territories going to hustings in the opening round.
Ansari and Kumar have thrown their hats into the ring from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar respectively.
Brishan Patel entered the fray from Siwan. He is likely to lock horns with Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Hena Shahb, wife of controversial and jailed RJD MP Syed Shahbuddin.
Voting for the first leg involving 124 Lok Sabha seats spread over 17 states and Union Territories will be held on April 16.
Filing of nominations for the first phase will close on March 30, scrutiny will be held the next day and withdrawals can be effected till April 2.
The four other phases are slated for April 22, 30, May 7 and 13. Counting of votes will commence on May 16.
Polling will be held for the first phase in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep.
Notifications were also issued by respective governors for 154 of 294 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 70 of the 147 Assembly seats in Orissa, going to polls along with the Lok Sabha elections in the first round.
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