The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Surat, Mukesh Dalal, has been declared elected unopposed after the rejection of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani’s nomination and the withdrawal of all other contenders. Surat District Collector awarded Dalal the Member of Parliament (MP) certificate following the declaration.
Apart from Dalal and Kumbhani, eight other contenders were initially in the fray for the Surat Lok Sabha seat. Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) Pyarelal Bharati was the last candidate to withdraw from the contest.
CR Patil, BJP Gujarat chief, congratulated Dalal and shared on social media, “Congratulations and best wishes to Mukesh Dalal, candidate for Surat Lok Sabha seat, for being elected unopposed.”
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also extended his congratulations to Dalal, referring to his pre-poll victory as the “beginning of historic victory” for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
“This is the beginning of the historic victory of the BJP in the whole of India, including Gujarat in the Lok Sabha polls. This is a clear indication of lotus blossoming with BJP’s resounding victory in all 26 seats in Gujarat…” Patel wrote in a post on social media.
The cancellation of Kumbhani’s nomination came after the election officer found “fake signatures of people who signed as witnesses” on his nomination papers. The Collector’s cancelation order highlighted the use of forged signatures on the nomination form of Kumbhani and his dummy candidate Suresh Padshala.
