Nomination of Dinesh Bajaj cancelled

Kolkata: The Rajya Sabha nomination of Independent candidate Dinesh Bajaj was scrapped on ground of 'faulty nomination' on Tuesday. Trinamool Congress candidate Mausam Noor's nomination, meanwhile, was accepted after final scrutiny.

The scrapping of Bajaj's nomination has ensured that there will be no election for the fifth seat in the Rajya Sabha. So, TMC candidates Subrata Bakshi, Arpita Ghosh, Dinesh Trivedi and Mausam Noor and CPI(M)-Congress joint candidate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya will go to the Rajya Sabha uncontested. "The affidavit that Bajaj had submitted did not have the signature of first class magistrate or notary as per norms. So, it has been rejected," a source in the Assembly said. Wednesday is the last day for the withdrawal of nominations. So if nobody withdraws the same, the five candidates are expected to be handed over their certificates on March 19.

The Left Front on Monday had submitted an affidavit before the Assembly secretary, who is the returning officer, during scrutiny, pointing out discrepancies in the nominations filed by Noor and Bajaj. The final hearing was held on Tuesday.

A former TMC MLA from Jorasanko Assembly constituency, Bajaj had submitted his nomination as an Independent candidate at the last minute on March 13, for the fifth seat in the Rajya Sabha elections. TMC had agreed to support Bajaj and give their excess votes to him.

"I may have filed nomination as an Independent candidate. But I am a TMC party worker. So I will speak with our party supremo on whatever happened," Bajaj said.