Lok Sabha elections: BJP gets first seat, Surat candidate wins unopposed

The Bharatiya Janata Party secured its first victory in the Lok Sabha elections on Monday, as its candidate from Gujarat’s Surat constituency won uncontested, state chief minister Bhupendra Patel said. This victory came after the nomination of the main opposition Congress candidates was rejected and other candidates withdrew their nominations.
“Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Surat Lok Sabha seat candidate Shri Mukeshbhai Dalal for being elected unopposed,” Gujarat CM said in an X post.
On the final day of nomination form withdrawals, a total of 8 candidates, predominantly Independents, along with Pyarelal Bharti from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), opted to withdraw their nominations.
The nomination papers of Nilesh Kumbhani, the Congress candidate for the Surat Lok Sabha seat, were rejected on Sunday after his three proposers said the sign on the papers was not theirs. Similarly, the nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the alternate Congress candidate from Surat, met a similar fate, effectively sidelining the main opposition party from the city’s electoral race.
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According to Returning Officer (RO) Sourabh Pardhi, the nomination was rejected after a preliminary examination revealed inconsistencies in the signatures of the proposers.
According to election nomination rules, a candidate endorsed by a recognised political party needs one voter from the constituency to propose their candidacy. However, if the candidate is independent or nominated by an unrecognised political party, ten electors from the constituency must sign the nomination paper as proposers.
Congress has said to pursue the matter in the high court.
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“Surat offered the first lotus to Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi!!” state BJP president CR Paatil congratulated Dalal.
Voting for other seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7 during the third phase of the 2024 general elections. The result will be announced on June 4.