A former Congress leader, Nilesh Kumbhani, who faced rejection of his nomination form leading to the BJP's uncontested victory in the Surat Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat, has reappeared after 20 days, alleging betrayal by the grand old party in 2017.
As per Kumbhani, he has been silent for the past few days out of respect for state party president Shaktisinh Gohil and Paresh Dhanani, the party's candidate for the Rajkot Lok Sabha.
"Congress leaders are accusing me of betrayal. However, it was Congress that 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 that made the first mistake, not me," Kumbhani said, as reported by news agency PTI.
"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 I.N.D.I.A bloc, these leaders raised objections when I used to campaign with AAP leaders here," he also said.
When asked if the current Lok Sabha election's outcome was his way of getting even with the Congress, Kumbhani remained silent and restated his accusation that his ticket was canceled for the 2017 state elections.
Lok Sabha Elections: Surat Nomination Debacle And Congress Suspension
Kumbhani, a former Congress corporator in the Surat Municipal Corporation, ran from Kamrej in the 2022 assembly election but was defeated by the BJP. Following the submission of affidavits by Kumbhani's three proposers to the district returning officer, who claimed not to have signed the nomination form, Kumbhani's nomination was rejected on April 21.
Coincidentally, the nomination form of the Congress' substitute candidate, Suresh Padsala, was also rejected, effectively ending the party's participation in the election.
Following the withdrawal of nominations from all other candidates, including one from the BSP, BJP's Mukesh Dalal was declared the winner of the Surat seat without opposition on April 22. The AAP had decided not to field its candidate from Surat because of a pre-poll alliance with Congress.
Kumbhani hadn't spoken to anyone since April 22. The Congress later suspended him, accusing him of "connivance with the BJP" and placing the blame for the nomination form's rejection.