Varanasi: This temple town will witness 42 candidates in the fray, after nominations of 34 contestants were rejected and two others withdrew from the race. The key contestants are Narendra Modi (BJP), Ajay Rai (Cong) and Arvind Kejriwal (AAP). A record number of 79 candidates had filed their nominations from here.
District Election Officer Pranjal Yadav also formally allotted election symbols today to the 42 contestants in the fray from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, which is estimated to have over 16 lakh voters and comprises five state assembly constituencies.
The symbols allotted to other candidates include cot, flute, stick, grapes, auto-rickshaw, letter box, cup-plate, gas cylinder, kite, almirah, television, blackboard, camera, stethoscope, iron, hat, bat, table lamp, coconut, air-conditioner, sewing machine, glass, harmonium, scissor, torch, pressure cooker, telephone, helmet, ring, envelop and carrot.