Before Mukesh Dalal, These MPs Got Elected To Lok Sabha Unopposed In The Past

The last time someone won uncontested was back in 2012, when Dimple Yadav was elected unopposed from the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat after her husband Akhilesh Yadav vacated the seat For UP assembly.

File photo of Mukesh Dalal, Dimple Yadav and Farooq Abdullah.

In a rare win for the BJP in the Lok Sabha Elections, Mukesh Dalal has been elected unopposed from the Surat constituency on Monday after all other candidates withdrew their nomination papers.

The development comes a day after the candidature of Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani from Surat seat was rejected on Sunday after the district returning officer prima facie found discrepancies in the signature of the proposers.      

The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated.

In a similar case in the Arunachal Assembly polls, which were held on April 19, 10 BJP candidates were elected unopposed as there were no other contestants.

As per the latest data, only eight states have sent more than one MP to Parliament uncontested, including Andhra, Assam, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, a report in The Indian Express said.

But the highest instances where MPs were elected unopposed were in Jammu and Kashmir where 4 legislators have been elected unopposed.

How Is An MP Elected Unopposed?

Though uncontested election victories have been a phenomenon since the first parliamentary elections in 1951-52, it is still rare in Lok Sabha polls. So far, Lok Sabha candidates have won their respective seats uncontested at least three dozen times. 

The Election Commission has ruled about “unopposed returns" in its handbook for returning officers. 

“If in any constituency there is only one contesting candidate, declare that candidate to have been duly elected immediately after the last hour for withdrawal of candidature. In that event, a poll is not necessary," the Election Commissioner said. 

Which MPs Have Been Elected Unopposed?

So far, Congress has seen the most MPs getting elected to the Parliament unopposed at 20, while the NC and SP have two legislators each. 

The last time someone won uncontested in the general election was back in 2012, when SP leader Dimple Yadav was elected unopposed from the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency after her husband Akhilesh Yadav vacated the seat to enter the Uttar Pradesh legislative council. Dimple Yadav was declared elected unopposed from Kannauj after two candidates in fray against her withdrew their nominations for the bypoll.

Before Dimple won the seat in June 2012, Mohammad Shafi Bhat of the National Conference won unopposed from the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir in 1989.
 
In the first election held in 1951, five MPs —Anand Chand from Bilaspur, TA Ramalingam Chettiar from Coimbatore, Major General HS Himmasinhji from Halar, Saurashtra, T Sangana from Rayagada-Phulbani and Krishna Charya Joshi from Yadgir, Hyderabad were elected uncontested. 

Other MPs who have been elected unopposed are former Deputy PM and Maharashtra CM YB Chavan from Nasik, NC chief Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar, former Nagaland CM and ex-Governor of four states SC Jamir and Odisha’s first CM Harekrushna Mahatab from Angul, the Indian Express said in a report.