Cong lodges FIR against leaders backing Surat LS candidate whose nomination was rejected

Congress filed a complaint with Surat police against three proposers of its candidate Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination was rejected due to alleged forged signatures. The complaint also seeks action against returning officer Saurabh Pardhi for rejecting the form. Congress alleges forgery and claims the returning officer lacked the authority to determine signature authenticity. The Surat police commissioner has initiated an investigation, and the Gujarat Congress has suspended Kumbhani from the party for six years over the incident.

The Congress on Monday lodged a complaint with the Surat police commissioner seeking registration of an FIR against the three proposers of party's Lok Sabha candidate Nilesh Kumbhani whose nomination from here in Gujarat was rejected after they claimed their signatures on the form were forged.

The complaint by the Surat Congress legal cell also sought action against returning officer and district collector Saurabh Pardhi over the rejection of the nomination form last month.

The opposition party sought action under sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to forgery.

In the complaint submitted to Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut, Ashok Pimple, a party worker, alleged Kumbhani's three proposers -- Ramesh Polra, Jagdish Savaliya, and Dhruvin Dhameliya -- deliberately ensured that his nomination form was rejected and he was disqualified from contesting.

''It is for a civil court to decide whether the signatures were forged or not. In Kumbhani's case, the district collector (as returning officer) decided the signatures' authenticity even when he does not have the power for the same,'' said Congress zonal spokesperson Zameer Shaikh.

When the three proposers obtained certificates to be attached with the nomination form from deputy collector at Olpad town in Surat district, proving they are voters of the same constituency, they must have signed before the officer, he opined.

''When scrutinizing the nomination papers, the returning office did not examine the signatures of the proposers used to obtain certificates issued by the deputy collector when arriving at the conclusion regarding discrepancies in their signatures that led to the rejection of the candidate's form,'' Shaikh noted.

The complainant also sought action against returning officer for the Surat Lok Sabha constituency Pardhi for his alleged involvement in the matter.

He criticised the returning officer's decision to disqualify the Congress candidate and said he did not act impartially.

The Surat police commissioner said an investigation was underway in connection with the complaint received by the police, and action will be taken as per Election Commission (EC) guidelines.

The Gujarat Congress on April 26 suspended Kumbhani from the party for six years, days after his nomination form was rejected over discrepancies, leading to BJP candidate Mukesh Dalal getting elected unopposed.

A statement from the Congress said Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected due to gross negligence on his part or ''in connivance with the BJP''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)