Nomination a low-key affair amid tight security & curbs on crowds

New Delhi: The offices of the returning officers spread across the city saw a beeline of candidates on Monday, the last day of filing nominations for the upcoming civic polls in the city.

With their supporters in tow, the candidates of the three major political players – BJP, AAP and Congress – apart from the nominees of several state and regional parties as well as the independents, started gathering at their respective centres from the morning itself.

With restrictions on crowd gathering in a radius of 100 metres of the nomination centres and heavy security inside, most candidates reached to submit their papers with just a handful of supporters and without any pomp and show.

There were 68 offices of returning officers set up at about 40 locations to accept nominations for 250 municipal wards, voting for which is slated for December 4. The results will be out on December 7.

While the candidates of the national parties and Delhi state parties were required to take only one elector as the proposer of their candidature, the nominees of state parties not recognised by Delhi and the independents had to take 10 electors as proposers.

“To prevent any crowd inside, we had strict restrictions and deployment of security,” said a returning officer, requesting anonymity.

At the office of the returning officer in east Delhi’s Dayanad Vihar, some candidates reached on time to file papers while others managed to make their way at the last minute, before the clock struck 3pm. The timing for filing nomination was 11am to 3pm.

Candidates of BJP and AAP, seen as the main rivals in the poll battle, ensured they marked their entry as they reached to file nominations. Guddi Devi, AAP candidate from ward number 12 (Malka Ganj), was accompanied by her son, a lawyer, and daughter, who is also pursuing law. Devi, who has been a councillor twice from Congress, said she was confident of her victory.