Surat LS candidate whose nomination form was rejected suspended from Cong

Ahmedabad: The Congress party has imposed a six-year suspension on its Surat Lok Sabha candidate, Nilesh Kumbhani, following the rejection of his nomination due to alleged discrepancies. The party’s disciplinary committee, led by Balu Patel, concluded that either gross negligence or possible collusion with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led to the rejection.

Despite being given an opportunity to present his case, Kumbhani remained unreachable, prompting the committee’s decision. The rejection of his nomination, along with the withdrawal of eight other candidates’ forms—allegedly orchestrated by the BJP—left Mukesh Dalal of the BJP as the sole candidate, resulting in his unopposed election.

Later, Kumbhani claimed his Congress colleagues did not help during campaigning. The party hit back saying the cancellation of nomination was part of Kumbhani’s “plan”. The controversy began when affidavits from Kumbhani’s proposers surfaced, claiming their signatures on his nomination form were forged.

A similar issue invalidated the form of Suresh Padsala, the substitute candidate for Congress. The district returning officer, Sourabh Pardhi, found significant discrepancies in the signatures, leading to the rejection of both candidates’ forms.

Kumbhani, who previously served as a corporator in Surat and ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 Assembly elections, now faces a setback in his political career due to this incident.

The unopposed election of Mukesh Dalal on April 22 has sparked outrage among Surat residents and Congress party workers, who feel their democratic rights have been compromised.