BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal has been elected unopposed from the Surat constituency, following the rejection of nomination papers of his Congress counterpart, Nilesh Kumbhani. This announcement came a day after Kumbhani’s nomination papers were dismissed by the Returning Officer.
The announcement of Dalal’s unopposed victory comes in the wake of the rejection of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani’s nomination papers by the Returning Officer, casting a shadow of controversy over the electoral process.
#WATCH | Gujarat: Mukesh Dalal, BJP's candidate from the Surat Lok Sabha seat collects his winning certificate after he was elected unopposed
The Congress candidate's form was rejected by the Returning Officer, the other eight candidates for the seat withdrew their nominations.… pic.twitter.com/Uzslcbj8aD
— ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2024
With Dalal’s uncontested victory, the BJP has marked its first win in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, a development that Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil hailed with congratulatory messages. Paatil extended his best wishes to Dalal, commending his successful election bid for the Surat Lok Sabha seat.
The exclusion of other candidates from the fray stemmed from a series of procedural discrepancies and challenges faced by the Congress party. Kumbhani’s nomination form faced rejection after he failed to present even one of his three proposers before the election officer, prompting the cancellation of his candidacy.
The BJP raised concerns regarding alleged discrepancies in the signatures of Kumbhani’s proposers, leading to further scrutiny and eventual rejection of his nomination. Similarly, the nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress’ substitute candidate, met a similar fate, leaving the party sidelined in the Surat poll arena.
In an order issued by Returning Officer Sourabh Pardhi, discrepancies in the signatures of Kumbhani’s proposers were cited as grounds for rejection, with the authenticity of the signatures called into question.
