Congress's Surat candidate Nilesh Kumbhani has faced significant repercussions following the rejection of his nomination form, leading to his suspension from the party for six years. The rejection of his nomination form resulted in the BJP's candidate, Mukesh Dalal, winning the polls unopposed after all other opponents were disqualified.
The decision to suspend Nilesh Kumbhani was made by the party's disciplinary committee, which cited gross negligence on his part or possible collusion with the BJP as reasons for the rejection of his nomination form. Despite being allowed to explain his case, Kumbhani failed to appear before the committee, which further contributed to the decision.
Kumbhani's nomination was canceled due to discrepancies found in the signatures of his proposers, with none of the three proposers being produced before the election officer. This led to questions raised by the BJP regarding the authenticity of the signatures.
Following the invalidation of Kumbhani's nomination, the substitute candidate from the Congress, Suresh Padsala, also faced a similar fate. Additionally, the withdrawal of nominations by the other eight candidates for the seat ultimately resulted in Mukesh Dalal being declared the winner.
In response to the developments, Congress workers protested outside Nilesh Kumbhani's house amid speculation that he might join the BJP. The Lok Sabha elections for the Surat seat, originally scheduled for May 7, concluded with Dalal's victory being announced on April 22.
