Pankaj Chaudhary, Ravi Kishan, Kajal Nishad & others file papers

GORAKHPUR Both Bharatiya Janata Party and INDIA alliance candidates flexed muscles in a show of strength at court crossing on Friday, during filing of nomination papers for the prestigious Gorakhpur seat that has also assumed significance in national politics.

Chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’, thousands of BJP supporters were stopped by police on one side of the crossing while INDIA alliance supporters on the other side waved their flags, sending the message that they stood united.

The city reverberated with slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram’, countered with ‘Jai Akhilesh Jai Rahul’. Amid these slogans and tight security arrangements, at least 12 nominations were submitted on the fourth day of filing of nominations papers on Friday. Gorakhpur goes to polls on June 1.

Pankaj Chaudhary, Ravi Kishan,Kamlesh Paswan file papers .

Six-time Member of Parliament and BJP candidate from Maharajganj Pankaj Chaudhary submitted his nomination papers in Maharajganj on Friday.He was upset over the death of his personal security officer Badshah Singh due to heart attack in the morning but reached the district court in Maharajganj one hour later than the scheduled time.

Actor-turned- politician Ravi Kishan Shukla submitted his nomination papers in Gorakhpur after performing pooja at Guru Gorakhnath temple and seeking blessings from chief minister Yogi Adityanath.He said he would win with a big margin on Gorakhpur seat, the hottest seat after Kashi .

Three-time winner and BJP MP from Bansgaon reserved seat Kamlesh Paswan also filed nomination papers in Gorakhpur.

3 INDIA alliance candidatesfile their nominations

Cine actress and INDIA alliance candidate from Gorakhpur Kajal Nishad submitted her nomination papers and said people of Gorakhpur would send BJP candidate Ravi Kishan Shukla back to his native district Jaunpur .She said the huge support of Nishad community was ready to write a new script on this prestigious seat.

Former cabinet minister and INDIA alliance candidate Sadal Prasad also submitted his nomination papers and claimed that people of Bansgaon were interested in change.

National spokesperson of the Congress and Alliance candidate Akhilesh Pratap Singh filed his nomination papers from Deoria parliamentary seat. Former MP Kanak Lata Singh and former minister Ghazala Lari, while addressing a big rally after the nomination, claimed that a wind of change was blowing from western to eastern Uttar Pradesh in favour of INDIA alliance.