Gujarat elections 2017 | Phase 1 polls: Deadline for filing papers ends today

The filing of nominations for the first phase of the state assembly elections will end on Tuesday.

As of Monday, about 350  candidates, majority of them independents, had filed their nominations for the 89 seats in Kutch, Saurashtra and south Gujarat going to polls in the first phase on December 9.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his Congress rival Indranil Rajguru, Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia, were among some of the candidates who filed their nomination papers on Monday.

However, the number of nominees in the fray will rise sharply on Tuesday as majority of the BJP and Congress candidates are slated to file their nomination papers on the last day.

The BJP said its state chief Jitu Vaghani will file nomination from Bhavnagar West seat in the presence of party president Amit Shah at 11 am on Tuesday. Senior Congress MLA Shaktisinh Gohil will also file his candidature papers from Mandvi.

The formal notification for the second phase, which are slated for December 14, was issued on Monday. For the second phase, which will include seats in central and north Gujarat, the deadline for filing of papers is November 27.