Congress leader Nilesh Kumbhani filing for his nomination in Surat (file image)

At the end of the verification process of the candidates for the Lok Sabha elections and Gujarat bye election nominations, 328 candidates were validated by the end of Apr 21 out of 433 nominations filed from the state. Among this, the Surat seat had the most heated drama among all, with cancellation of the Congress candidate. On two other challenged seats, the GOP was allowed to contest.

Apart from this, 27 candidates running for Gujarat bye elections were also cleared out of 37 nominations filed.

The process of filing nominations lasted from Apr 12-19, and the elections are slated to be held on May 7.

Congress’ Surat setback

Among these, a high-voltage drama surrounding the Surat seat reached its peak as a disparity in the signatures of Nilesh Kumbhani’s supporters led to the cancellation of his candidature.

In Amreli, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also challenged the candidature of Jenny Thummar. However, after two and a half hours of legal arguments, Thummar was allowed to go ahead with her candidature.

Similarly, the BJP also challenged Congress’ Banaskantha candidate Geni Thakor, regarding the land value and measurements of the land owned by Thakor. The ruling party raised a discrepancy in the land values in 2017 and 2024.

However, later, the legal team validated Thakor’s candidature after hearing both sides.

Nomination approval across Gujarat

A maximum of 30 candidates were approved from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat, while a minimum of three candidates were approved from the Bardoli Lok Sabha seat.

For bye elections, a maximum of eight candidates from Bijapur seat, and at least four candidates from Manavdar and Khambhat seats have been approved.

In Ahmedabad (East), 34 candidates filed their nomination. Out of these, 11 candidates were invalidated and 23 were approved.

19 nomination papers were filled by 12 candidates in Ahmedabad (West). Out of which the forms of 6 candidates were approved.

After scrutiny, the approved nomination papers will be withdrawn by 3 p.m. today, giving a clear look at all the candidates who will be contesting for Lok Sabha and bye elections in Gujarat.

Also read:

Nilesh Kumbhani faces nomination cancellation in Surat Lok Sabha seat