Congress Lok Sabha candidate's nomination rejected: Why? 'Supporters betrayed'

“Nomination forms of Dinesh Kumbhani and Suresh Padsala have been rejected… we will approach the high court and Supreme Court," Congress party's lawyer said.

The nomination papers of Nilesh Kumbhani, Congress' candidate for the Surat Lok Sabha seat, were rejected on Sunday after his three proposers claimed that the signatures on them were forged. Likewise, the nomination form of Suresh Padsala, Congress' alternate candidate from Surat, was also invalidated, effectively eliminating the main opposition party from the city's electoral contest.

The Congress candidate from Surat Nilesh Kumbhani's nomination paper was rejected. (X/Nilesh Kumbhani)

Returning officer (RO) Sourabh Pardhi said the three nomination forms submitted by Kumbhani and Padsala were rejected after a prima facie discrepancy was found in the signatures of the proposers and they did not appear genuine. Pardhi's order stated that the proposers, through affidavits, denied signing the forms themselves.

What is the role of a proposer according to election rules?

As per the election nomination regulations, if a candidate is contesting as a nominee of a recognised political party, one voter from the constituency is required to propose their candidacy. However, if the candidate is contesting as an independent candidate or as a candidate nominated by a registered but unrecognised political party, then ten electors from the constituency must sign the nomination paper as proposers.

According to the rules, the Returning Officer (RO) must verify the signatures of the proposers. If, after a brief inquiry, the RO determines that the signature is not genuine, as claimed by the proposer, the nomination paper will be rejected due to insufficient proposers. Additionally, the individual who submitted the nomination paper with a forged signature or thumb impression will be subject to prosecution under the law.

However, the candidate in question should be afforded sufficient opportunity to present their case, the rules say.

Will go to high court, Supreme Court: Congress

Confirming it, Congress' legal representative Babu Mangukiya said, “Nomination forms of Dinesh Kumbhani and Suresh Padsala have been rejected after the four proposers said signatures on the forms were not theirs.” Mangukiya added that the next step would be to seek legal recourse through the high court and Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Zameer Shaikh suggested that the proposers were threatened to back out. He said "The supporters said yesterday that they had not signed the papers. Our argument is that the nomination of our candidate Nilesh Kumbhani has been cancelled without verifying why the supporters were lying and under which threat they were... The high command will decide on an option," ANI reported.