Local media reported today that Nilesh Kumbhani, the leader of the Surat Congress, who had his nomination as a candidate for Lok Sabha rejected due to purported discrepancies, was not present and could not be reached by phone. This occurs one day after all opposition contenders withdrew from the race, and Mukesh Dalal of the BJP was proclaimed the victor from the BJP stronghold.
Amid reports claiming that Mr Kumbhani may join the BJP, Congress workers protested outside his locked house with posters that read, “janata ka gaddar (people’s traitor)”.
The dramatic developments come after the BJP’s unprecedented victory in Surat for the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi received “the first lotus” from Surat, according to Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil. “I congratulate our candidate for Surat Lok Sabha seat Mukesh Dalal for getting elected unopposed,” he wrote in a post to X.
Citing “wrong and undue influence” by the ruling BJP in Gujarat, the Congress has approached the Election Commission and requested a resumption of the voting process.
“We have therefore requested the Election Commission to postpone the election in Surat and redo the election shorty to send a clear message that you cannot take advantage of this kind of wrong undue influence,” party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters after meeting the Election Commissioners yesterday.
Mr Singhvi claimed that in Surat, Congress candidate Kumbhani was nominated by four proposers, “but, suddenly all four stood up and denied their signatures”.
“This is no coincidence. The candidate is missing for many hours and by the time he resurfaces we find that every other candidate has withdrawn his candidature, every one of them. His candidature is rejected by the returning officer,” he said.
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