UP: 10 NDA candidates file nominations for March 21 MLC polls

Lucknow: As many as 10 BJP-led NDA candidates on Monday filed nominations for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh MLC elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The elections to the state's legislative council are scheduled to be held on March 21.
The MLC candidates filed nominations in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Cheif Minister Yogi Adityanath, state Deputy CM Brijesh Pathak, Uttar Pradesh BJP President Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar and several other leaders.
Among those who filed nominations for the March 21 polls were BJP candidates Vijay Bahadur Pathak, Dr Mahendra Kumar Singh, Ashok Kataria, Mohit Beniwal, Dharmendra Singh, Ramtirath Singhal, and Santosh Singh.
Ashish Patel from Apna Dal (S), a minister in the Yogi government, also filed his nomination for the MLC polls.
Vichhelal Rajbhar filed his nomination from Subhashpa while Yogesh Chaudhary of the RLD also entered the fray.
After the candidates filed the nominations for MLC polls, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya congratulated 10 NDA MLCs for entering the fray.
"10 NDA MLC candidates have filed nominations for the Uttar Pradesh MLC polls. I congratulate all our candidates and wish them all the best," he added.
Also speaking on the nominations, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary said, "In line with the vision put forward by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our candidates, if elected, will work towards making India a developed country."
Of the candidates who filed their nomination papers, seven were from the BJP and three from its partners in the ruling alliance.
Earlier, on Saturday, the BJP announced its list of candidates for the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar MLC elections.
For the legislative council polls in UP, the BJP fielded Vijay Bahadur Pathak, Mahendra Kumar Singh, Mohit Beniwal, Ashok Katariya, Dharmendra Singh, Ramtirath Singhal, and Santosh Singh.
The candidates will contest 13 MLC seats in the state, with the BJP announcing its candidates for 7 seats.
March 11, Sunday, was scheduled to be the last date for filing nominations for the March 21 MLC polls in Bihar and UP.
Meanwhile, for the polls in neighbouring Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) fielded former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, former Minister Abdulbari Siddiqui, Urmila Thakur, and Saiyad Faisal Ali.
Setting the pace ahead of its rivals, the BJP released its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The list included 47 youth candidates, 28 women candidates, 27 Scheduled Caste (SC) faces, 18 Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates, and 57 OBC/Backward Class nominees.