Even as voting for all 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in Gujarat is yet to take place, BJP candidate from Surat parliamentary seat has won. BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal managed to win the seat after all other nominees withdrew from the fray. He was elected unopposed and received his winning certificate on Monday. Notably, the candidature of Congress' Nilesh Kumbhani from the Surat seat was rejected on Sunday after the district returning officer prima facie found discrepancies in the signature of the proposers.
The development marks the first victory of BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Voting for all 26 constituencies in Gujarat is scheduled for May 7. But now, polling will be held on 25 seats. "Today I have been declared winner, so the first lotus has bloomed in Gujarat and in the country," Dalal said after his victory.
Congress on Sunday alleged that Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected at the behest of the BJP and said it would challenge the rejection in the High Court. In the 2019 polls, BJP won all 26 constituencies in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The results for all the remaining 25 seats in Gujarat will be declared on June 4.
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