 "Akshay Bam")
In another setback to Congress, its Lok Sabha candidate from Indore, Akshay Bam, dropped out of the race and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just days before the constituency goes to polls. The Congress had fielded Bam against sitting BJP MP Shankar Lalwani from the Indore Lok Sabha seat, where polling will be held on May 13 in the fourth phase.
Confirming the development, cabinet minister in the Madhya Pradesh government, Kailash Vijayvargiya extended a warm welcome to Bam upon his induction into the party.
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"We welcome Akshay Kanti Bam Ji Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Indore into the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national BJP president JP Nadda and state president VD Sharma", Vijayvargiya posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.
The recent development occurred shortly after the nomination form submitted by Congress leader Nilesh Kumbhani for the Surat Lok Sabha seat was rejected. This rejection stemmed from the revelation by three proposers to the district returning officer that the signatures on the document were not theirs. Similarly, Suresh Padsala, Congress' alternative candidate for Surat, suffered the same fate due to similar reasons.
Kumbhani, a former Surat corporator, had previously contested the 2022 Assembly elections in the Kamrej constituency but failed to secure victory.
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On April 22, BJP's Mukesh Dalal emerged victorious uncontested for the Surat Lok Sabha constituency. This came after all other candidates, including one from the BSP, withdrew their nominations one after the other.
Voting for other seats in Gujarat will be held on May 7 during the third phase of the Lok Sabha general elections. The result will be announced on June 4.
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