Chandigarh, May 17 : A total of 328 candidates, including 26 women, will be in the fray for the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, 50 more than 2019, Chief Electoral Officer Sibin C. said on Friday.

The state will go to the polls in a single phase on June 1, the seventh and final phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

He said 25 candidates have withdrawn their names on the last date for withdrawal of nominations. Earlier, 466 candidates had filed 598 nominations. After the scrutiny and withdrawal of papers, the total number of candidates has come down to 328, comprising 302 men and 26 women.

The Ludhiana seat has the highest number of candidates at 43, including two women.

There are 26 candidates in the fray in Gurdaspur, comprising 23 men and three women. Amritsar has 30 candidates with 26 men and four women, while Khadoor Sahib has 27 men.

Fatehgarh Sahib has 14 candidates, with one woman. In Faridkot, there are 28 candidates, of which 26 are men and two are women.

Jalandhar has 20 candidates, comprising 17 men and three women, while Hoshiarpur has 16 candidates including two women, and Anandpur Sahib has 28 candidates with two women.

Ferozepur has 29 candidates, all men. Bathinda has 18 candidates, including three women.

Sangrur has 23 candidates with one woman, while Patiala has 26 candidates, with 23 men and three women.

Sibin C urged all political parties and candidates to follow the Model Code of Conduct for peaceful and fair elections. He requested avoiding unverified allegations and distortions when criticizing others. He prohibited the use of loudspeakers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. without written permission and asked for compliance with local traffic regulations.

/IANS