Nasirpur with 48 candidates is now the constituency with the maximum number of candidates going to the elections. And the constituencies with the least number of nominations are Shakur Basti, Ballimaran and Kamala Nagar with only five candidates each.

The constituency with the maximum number of withdrawals is Bhalsawa Jahangpur with nine withdrawals.

The total number of electorates who will exercise their franchise are 83,64,773, out of which 48,17,794 electorates are males and 35,46,979 females. While, Badarpur is the largest constituency with 2,02,376 voters, Matia Mahal with its 78,483 voters is the smallest constituency. There has been an increase of 25,14,228 voters since the 1993 assembly elections in the state.

The exact break-up of the withdrawal of nominations was not yet available as the Election Commission (EC) was still compiling the number of withdrawals. But, initial reports suggest that maximum number of withdrawals has been from the Congress.

Yesterday and today saw some independent candidates and Shiv Sena workers holding a demonstration in front of the EC building at Kashmere gate. They were protesting against the EC for rejecting the nominations of their candidates. However, the situation was brought under control by the police posted within the premises.

But not all was dull at the EC office. While conducting the tedious business of compiling names of candidates, the officers at the EC enjoyed a light moment when Kallu bhaiyya, an independent candidate came to the office complaining bitterly to who-ever lent him a sympathetic ear.

He wanted ``two children,'' he said. The `two children' it turned out was a symbol, under which he had contested last year and had proved lucky for him.