Chandigarh: As many as 801 nominations filed by candidates for the Jan 30 Punjab assembly elections have been rejected by the Election Commission, leaving 1,253 candidates in the fray.

A spokesperson of the chief electoral officer's (CEOs) office said here Saturday that of the 2,054 nominations received till Thursday (Jan 12), the last date of filing these, 801 nominations had been rejected after scrutiny.

Most of the nominations were rejected as the forms were not complete or required documents were not submitted before the returning officers.

Monday (Jan 16) is the last date for withdrawal of nominations by the candidates.

"Total 1,253 candidates remain in the fray for the Punjab assembly elections after the scrutiny of nomination papers. Candidates can withdraw their nominations by Jan 16," the spokesperson said.

Over 900 nominations were filed on Thursday (Jan 12), the last date of filing nominations for elections to the 117-member assembly.

After the scrutiny of forms, the largest number of candidates -- 23 -- in the fray from an assembly constituency is in Jalalabad in Ferozepur district. Shiromani Akali Dal president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is seeking re-election for this seat.

The least number of candidates in the fray is in the border area constituency of Attari in Amritsar district. Only four candidates are in the fray now on this seat.

PTI