In a surprising turn of events, the BJP’s Gujarat Surat Lok Sabha candidate, Mukesh Dalal, has clinched victory even before the polls open! The reason? Well, it seems his opponents are dropping like flies. Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani faces a setback as his nomination form gets the boot due to discrepancies found in his proposers’ signatures. Eight other candidates follow suit and withdraw their nominations, leaving Dalal standing tall as the sole contender.
However, things take a dramatic twist as returning officers cite signature inconsistencies and alleged lack of genuineness for the rejections. The Congress smells foul play, claiming that Kumbhani’s proposers were mysteriously kidnapped. Demanding a thorough investigation, they vow to unravel the truth behind this electoral drama.
#WATCH | Gujarat: On being elected unopposed from the Surat Lok Sabha seat, BJP’s Mukesh Dalal says, “Today I have been declared winner, so the first lotus has bloomed in Gujarat and in the country. I thank PM Modi, HM Amit Shah, party chief JP Nadda, state CM, and state BJP… https://t.co/1RpY7J7apj pic.twitter.com/JSDWg02Dc8
— ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2024
With tensions running high and accusations flying, Surat’s political battleground just got hotter than ever.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel extended his best wishes to Dalal and said, “Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Surat Lok Sabha seat candidate Shri Mukeshbhai Dalal for being elected unopposed.”
CM Patel said that this was the beginning of the BJP’s “historic victory” in the nation’s general elections.
“This is a clear indication of the lotus blossoming with BJP’s resounding victory in all 26 seats in Gujarat and the realization of the slogan of #AbKiBaar400Paar under the leadership of Hon’ble Modiji. #PhirEkBaarModiSarkar,” the Gujarat CM said in a post on X.
સુરત લોકસભા બેઠકના ઉમેદવાર શ્રી મુકેશભાઇ દલાલને બિનહરીફ ચૂંટાવા બદલ હાર્દિક અભિનંદન સહ શુભકામનાઓ.
લોકસભા ચૂંટણીમાં ગુજરાત સહિત સમગ્ર ભારતમાં ભારતીય જનતા પાર્ટીના ઐતિહાસિક વિજયની આ શરૂઆત છે. ગુજરાતમાં તમામ 26 બેઠકો પર ભાજપાના પ્રચંડ વિજય સાથે કમળ ખીલવાનો અને માનનીય મોદીજીના…
— Bhupendra Patel (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Bhupendrapbjp) April 22, 2024
The nomination of the grand old party’s candidate from Surat, Nilesh Kumbhani, was rejected after the district returning officer prima facie found discrepancies in the signature of the proposers.
Then, the nomination form of Congress’ substitute candidate, Suresh Padsala, was also declared invalid.
Notably, on the last day of withdrawal of the nomination forms on Monday, as many as 8 candidates which included mostly Independents and Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Pyarelal Bharti, withdrew their papers.
