Congress accuses BJP of 'match-fixing' Surat seat fearing MSMEs anger
BJP's Mukesh Dalal is set to get elected unopposed from Surat after all other candidates withdrew from the fray, and the Congress candidature was rejected
The Congress has accused the BJP of fearing the wrath of MSME owners and the business community in Surat and indulging in "match-fixing" to win the Surat Lok Sabha seat.
The Congress on April 22 alleged that the BJP was scared that the MSME owners and the business community in Surat were angry with the ruling party, which "spooked" them to the match-fix the Surat Lok Sabha seat to ensure the BJP candidate gets elected without any opposition.
The BJP's Mukesh Dalal is all set to get elected unopposed from Surat after all other candidates withdrew from the fray, while the candidature of the Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani was rejected on Sunday after the district returning officer prima facie found discrepancies in the signature of the proposers.
Democracy under threat
Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed that democracy is under threat.
"'Aap chronology samajhiye' (Understand the chronology): Surat District Election Officer rejects the Congress' candidate for Surat Lok Sabha Nilesh Kumbhani's nomination for 'discrepancies in the verification of signatures of three proposers'. On similar grounds, officials reject the nomination of Suresh Padsala, the INC’s substitute candidate from Surat. The Congress is left without a candidate," he said on 'X'.
"All other candidates withdraw their nomination except the BJP’s candidate, Mukesh Dalal. The BJP candidate declared 'elected unopposed' from Surat Lok Sabha seat on April 22, 2024, nearly two weeks before polling on May 7, 2024," Ramesh added.
He claimed that the "distress" of micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) owners and the business community in PM Narendra Modi's "Anyay Kaal" and their anger have "spooked the BJP so badly that they are attempting to 'match-fix' Surat Lok Sabha, which they have won consistently since the 1984 Lok Sabha elections!"
"Our elections, our democracy, Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution -- all are under a generational threat. This is the most important election of our lifetime," Ramesh said on X.
(With inputs from agencies)