Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress' Surat Candidate In Trouble As Proposers Deny Signing Nomination
DEO Sourabh Pardhi on Saturday sought clarification on the issue from Kumbhani.
The candidature of Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani from Surat Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat is in danger of being invalidated after his three proposers claimed in an affidavit to the district election officer that they had not signed his nomination form.
DEO Sourabh Pardhi on Saturday sought clarification on the issue from Kumbhani and granted him time till 11 a.m. on Sunday, before deciding the future course of action on his nomination form.
Incidentally, the sole proposer for Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, has also denied he signed on the nomination form, prompting senior Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil to allege it was the handiwork of the ruling BJP to push the opposition party out of the poll fray.
During a hearing before the DEO on Saturday evening, both Kumbhani and Padsala sought time till Sunday before a final order is passed.
"Proposers of main (Kumbhani) and the substitute (Padsala) candidates have denied having signed the papers. We have been given time till 11 a.m. before the final order is passed and the party will give a detailed argument," Congress Spokesperson Naishad Desai said.
Kumbhani said his proposers Ramesh Polara, Jagdish Savaliya and Dhuvin Dhameliya were unreachable at present, but exuded confidence he would be able to contact them soon.
Speaking on the issue, Aam Aadmi Party leader Gopal Italia alleged Kumbhani's proposers have been kidnapped by the BJP.
"They were pressured to submit affidavits denying they had signed on the nomination forms," Italia claimed.
A complaint regarding their kidnapping has been submitted to the police and the DEO has also been informed about it, Italia added.
The Congress and AAP are fighting the Gujarat Lok Sabha polls in alliance. The Congress has fielded candidates on 24 of 26 seats, while AAP is contesting from Bhavnagar and Bharuch.
The Congress took all care to ensure there was no fault in the nomination forms, the party's Gujarat chief Gohil said.
"Despite this, the BJP raised objections in 14 places to get them invalidated. In Surat, the BJP felt Congress will win, so they used police to put pressure on the proposers to file affidavits about not having signed on the forms," Gohil said.
"All four proposers, comprising three for the main candidate and one for the substitute candidate have made similar claims. It clearly shows the BJP has tainted democracy and used illegal and undemocratic means to remove Congress from the fray," he said.
The Congress' legal team will take the matter to the High Court and Supreme Court, Gohil asserted.
The people of Gujarat will reject such moves of the BJP, the Congress leader said.