BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal has been declared an unopposed winner on the Surat seat even before the voting for the Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat. The form of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani and his dummy candidate standing against him were cancelled.
After the cancellation of the Congress candidate's form, all other candidates contesting as independents and other parties also withdrew their forms. Then BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal from Surat has been declared the winner.
Surat Collector and Returning Officer Saurabh Pardhi announced the election of BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal unopposed and gave him the certificate. BJP has also started celebrating its candidate winning. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, BJP President C. for electing BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal unopposed in social media R. Leaders including Patil also congratulated.
There were seven candidates on the Surat Lok Sabha seat after Nilesh Kumbhani's form was cancelled. In which there were some independent candidates from some parties. In which most of the candidates had taken back the form but Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Pyarelal Bharti came last to take back the form. As soon as he returned the form, only Mukesh Dalal remained the only candidate for the Surat seat.
Along with all these developments, BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal CR. Went to meet Patil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and C. as soon as Mukesh Dalal was declared the winner. R. Patil was thanked.
At that time, the opposition alleged 'murder of democracy'. Mukesh Dalal said about the opposition's accusations of 'murdering democracy', "All these things are outdated. When things are done according to their will, the opposition does not feel that democracy has been killed and if it is done against the will, it immediately feels like killing democracy."
The Congress says that the ruling party wants to cancel the candidature of its candidates by removing errors in their forms.
How did the uncontested winner phenomenon begin?
If the Surat Lok Sabha polls had been held this time, there would have been a direct fight between BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal and Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani.
However, last week BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal's election agent Dinesh Jodhani raised an objection regarding the form of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani from Surat. He said that the Congress supporters are 'not fair'.
It later came to light that three of the four persons who had signed as supporters of Nilesh Kumbhani had sworn that they had not signed the form. After which the election agent of the BJP candidate raised an objection and the Collector of Surat sought an explanation from Nilesh Kumbhani as to what he had to say about this. The Collector gave Nilesh Kumbhani till 11 am on Sunday, April 21.
Rameshbhai Balwantbhai Polara, Jagdish Nagjibhai Savalia and Dhruvin Dhirubhai Dhamelia signed as supporters of Nilesh Kumbhani. Jagdish Savalia is Nilesh Kumbhani's cousin, Dhruvin Dhamelia is his cousin and Ramesh Polara has been his business partner.
As these three people were among the most personal persons of Nilesh Kumbhani, the questions arose that why did he do this? Since the incident came to light, Kumbhani's supporters have been out of touch and their whereabouts are still unknown.
Then the lawyers of both the Congress and BJP parties presented their respective claims. The lawyers of the Congress party spoke to the media about what was argued in this hearing. Lawyer Babubhai Mangekia claimed that these supporters were abducted and pressured and they did not appear.
He said, "This happened earlier during the Assembly elections and the candidate's form was accepted then. We based our arguments on that."
Babubhai said, "We said in the hearing that the supporters who are absent should be present and only then the Returning Officer should take a decision. We have also produced affidavits of those in whose presence we signed."
The Congress counsel also argued that only the signature or not should be inquired into in the nomination paper, no additional inquiry should be made. Advocate Zameer Shaikh, appearing for the Congress, said, "When these three supporters appeared before the collector, who brought them should also be investigated." After hearing arguments from both sides, the Returning Officer yesterday declared the Congress candidate's form cancelled.
What did the independent candidate who withdrew the form say?
A total of seven candidates were in the fray after the cancellation of the Congress candidate's form. They include Log Party's Sohail Sheikh, Global Republican Party's Jayeshbhai Mewada, Bahujan Samaj Party's Pyarelal Bharti and independent candidates Bharatbhai Prajapati, Ajitsinh Umat, Kishorebhai Dayani and Rameshbhai Baraiya.
Among these, Rameshbhai Baraiya, an independent candidate who withdrew the form, told BBC Gujarati that, "I withdrew the form so that it would be fun to contest the election if two major parties are fighting face to face. But how can one contest the election if only one candidate is in the fray?" ?"
Asked if there was any pressure to withdraw the nomination, Rameshbhai said, "There was no pressure on me. But when the Congress candidate's form was cancelled, I asked the Congress leaders to support me. But I got no response from the Congress leaders. Got it. That's why I withdrew the form."
Along with this, he denied that he withdrew the form out of any greed or temptation. When Gujarati spoke to Rameshbhai Baraiya, an independent candidate who withdrew his candidature from Surat, he claimed that he did not withdraw his candidature under any pressure.
He said that he had hoped that Congress or AAP would support him as an independent candidate but it did not happen.
Ramesh Baraiya said, "I was hoping to get 50,000 votes this time. Even for 10,000 votes, I have to spend 500,000. I love to contest elections. I am contesting elections with my mind."
Why is the Congress candidate under suspicion in the whole scenario?
In view of the way the entire incident has come out in this matter, questions are also being raised on the Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani.
Surat-based senior journalist and political analyst Naresh Varia told BBC Gujarati, "The whole matter is suspicious and Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani can also be held responsible for it. Because his supporters are very close relatives. Only your relatives go back and How is it possible that you don't get it? It suggests that Nilesh Kumbhani may also be involved." However, the leaders of the Congress party are constantly attacking the BJP in this matter.
Naresh Varia said about the situation of the Congress, "This has also exposed the weakness of the Congress. Even at the organization level, the decision was not taken properly. Many workers and leaders were also saying in a low voice that Nilesh Kumbhani is not opening offices in some areas, campaigning seems lax." . But the party put full faith in him."
Terming the entire incident as fatal to democracy, he says, "In this case, a police complaint should be lodged. Action should be taken against Nilesh Kumbhani if he has forged the signature. A complaint should be lodged against whoever played the game as this act has made a mockery of democracy. The people who want to vote for the opposition have also been betrayed. Where to go in such a situation?"
Congress has suffered a big blow in Surat. This seat has gone to BJP before the election.
Campaigning for the Surat seat had already started for several days and the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party were campaigning together under the India alliance.
When Nilesh Kumbhani's form was canceled last week, Surat Congress leader Harshad Kalyani told , "As a Congress worker, I am deeply saddened. I don't know what to say."
He says, "I have been witnessing the Congress situation in Surat for the last thirty years. For the first time in all these years, I felt that this time the entire party was contesting, not just candidates. We had agents appointed at every booth and all The preparations were already done. The campaign was also going well. There is great disappointment among the Congress workers."
Harshad Kalyani says, "We were suspicious about the candidate and we informed the party but the regional leaders thought it was a rumour. It is natural for a Lok Sabha election candidate not to directly suspect anyone." Nilesh Kumbhani's reaction could not be found in this whole matter.
Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi says that efforts have been made by the ruling party to cancel the candidature of Congress candidates in Gujarat by removing small errors in their nomination papers. But the public has known all these things and the public will answer them in the elections.
Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said in a press conference whether the Congress candidate was also suspected, "Rather than why our candidate was selected, we need to look at the tactics adopted by the BJP. The relatives of our candidate were their supporters. They disappeared. BJP has done all this by giving greed, intimidation and threats. Even after the Congress candidate filed a complaint, the police did not investigate and find the supporters."
"There were many objections and errors in the forms of BJP candidates too but the Election Commission did not take any action there," he says.
Congress leader and lawyer Babu Mangukiya said that he will take legal route in this matter.After the victory, BJP state president CR Patil said, "I want to convey a message to the voters of Gujarat that before the elections, the Congress had created drama and tried to create a misunderstanding, but today the truth has come out. This victory in Surat is 400 pars. It is the first victory of the target. 26 out of 26 victories are to be given to Modisaheb and all the people of Gujarat have faith in him."
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