Nilesh Kumbhani, a suspended Congress leader whose nomination form was rejected over discrepancies leading to Bharatiya Janata Party winning the Surat Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat unopposed, reappeared on Saturday after 20 days. Nilesh Kumbhani alleged that it was the Congress which had betrayed him first in 2017, news agency PTI reported.
Nilesh Kumbhani added that he remained silent all these days because of his respect for Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil and the party's Rajkot Lok Sabha candidate Paresh Dhanani.
“Congress leaders are accusing me of betrayal. However, it was the Congress which betrayed me first in the 2017 assembly elections when my ticket for Kamrej assembly seat in Surat was cancelled at the last moment. It was the Congress which made the first mistake, not me,” news agency PTI quoted Nilesh Kumbhani as saying.
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"I did not want to do this but my supporters, office staff and workers were upset because the party is being run by five self-proclaimed leaders in Surat, and they neither work nor allow others to work. Though AAP and Congress are part of the INDIA alliance, these leaders raised objections when I used to campaign with AAP leaders here," Nilesh Kumbhani alleged.
Asked if the turn of events in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections was his revenge on the Congress, Nilesh Kumbhani refused to give a direct reply and reiterated his charge about the cancellation of ticket in the 2017 assembly polls.
{{/usCountry}}Asked if the turn of events in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections was his revenge on the Congress, Nilesh Kumbhani refused to give a direct reply and reiterated his charge about the cancellation of ticket in the 2017 assembly polls.
{{/usCountry}}Nilesh Kumbhani, who had earlier served as a Congress corporator in the Surat Municipal Corporation, fought the 2022 assembly elections from Kamrej but lost to the BJP.
Also Read | Nomination of Congress’ Surat candidate rejected as proposers claim ‘not signed’
On April 21, Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected after his three proposers submitted affidavits to the district returning officer claiming they had not signed the document. Incidentally, the nomination form of the Congress' substitute candidate Suresh Padsala was also rejected, ending the party's presence in the fray.
On April 22, BJP's Mukesh Dalal was declared elected unopposed from Surat after all other candidates, including one from the BSP, withdrew their nominations.