BJP's Mukesh Dalal runs unopposed, wins Surat Lok Sabha Seat before polls

Eight other candidates, including that of BSP, withdraw their candidature on the final day for withdrawal of nomination forms

Mukesh Dalal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Gujarat’s Surat constituency, was on Monday elected unopposed, handing over the ruling party its first win.

This development followed the rejection of the Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani's nomination and the withdrawal of all other candidates from the contest, as confirmed by the party's Gujarat chief, C R Paatil, on Monday.

With no other contenders left in the race, Mukesh Dalal is set to win the Surat Lok Sabha seat without contest. Gujarat BJP chief C R Paatil took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Dalal, stating, "Surat has presented the first Lotus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

"Congratulations and best wishes to Mukeshbhai Dalal, candidate for Surat Lok Sabha seat, for being elected unopposed!!" he added.

On the final day for the withdrawal of nomination forms, a total of eight candidates, including independents and Pyarelal Bharti of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), withdrew their candidatures.

The rejection of Nilesh Kumbhani's candidature came after the district returning officer identified discrepancies in the signatures of the proposers. The election officer deemed the signatures on Kumbhani's nomination form as fake, leading to the cancellation of his candidacy. Additionally, the nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel hailed Dalal's unopposed election as a "beginning of a historic victory" for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Patel expressed confidence in the BJP's sweeping victory across all 26 seats in Gujarat and emphasised the symbolic significance of the lotus blooming, the party's electoral symbol, indicating its success in the upcoming polls.

All 26 Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat will go to polls in a single phase on May 7.