29 file papers for MCM councillor positions, none for mayoral post

Gurgaon: With just a day left for filing nominations for Manesar's first civic body election, 21 more candidates filed their papers on Saturday, bringing the total to 29. However, the mayoral position remains without any nomination.
BJP is yet to announce its candidates for MCM but has declared its candidates for MCG and eight other municipal corporations' polls. Congress, meanwhile, came out with its mayoral candidates for MCM and MCG on Saturday. Political analysts believe the parties' delay might be a strategy to prevent disgruntled workers from contesting as Independents.
The newly formed MCM, with its mix of residential condominiums and villages, has attracted interest from party workers. "This is the first election for MCM, and there are many ticket aspirants. The selection of candidates is being done carefully to balance all interests and prevent workers from contesting as Independents," a BJP functionary said. "We are expecting the Manesar list to be out by Sunday," he added.
Of the 29 candidates who filed nominations, four each went for ward 5 (Kankrola) and ward 11 (Manesar). These two wards got the highest number of nominations.
Manesar's 96,687 voters will elect representatives across 20 wards, with the average number of voters per ward being around 4,000–5,000.
Meanwhile, 15 candidates filed their nominations for councillor for MCG elections, which have been pending since the last term of the house ended in Nov 2022. Gurgaon, divided into 36 wards, has 8.9 lakh registered voters.
With Feb 17 being the last day for filing nominations, the district administration has taken steps to ensure a smooth process for candidates. To avoid any inconvenience on the final day, help desks set up at the assistant returning officers' (ARO) offices and the single-window operating systems for issuing no dues certificates will remain open on Sunday. However, no nominations were accepted on Sunday.
The last date for filing nominations for the civic polls is Feb 17, followed by the scrutiny of nomination papers on Feb 18. Candidates will have until Feb 19, from 11am to 3pm, to withdraw their nominations.
After the withdrawal deadline, election symbols will be allotted, and the final list of contesting candidates, along with polling station details, will be published the same day. Voting is scheduled for March 2, and counting will begin at 8am on March 12, with results expected later that day.