AAP seeks forgery case against Cong.’s Surat candidate

The Aam Aadmi Party in Gujarat on Wednesday urged poll authorities to register a case against Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination form as a Congress candidate for the Surat Lok Sabha constituency was rejected recently over alleged discrepancies in the signatures of proposers that ultimately led to the BJP winning the seat unopposed.

AAP leader and party’s Surat unit president Rajnikant Vaghani demanded that either Mr. Kumbhani be booked on the charges of forgery or his proposers be booked for giving false declaration on oath.

Both AAP and Congress are the constituents of Opposition’s INDIA bloc.

In a letter addressed to Surat Collector and District Election O¦cer Sourabh Pardhi, Mr. Vaghani cited Mr. Pardhi’s April 21 order, in which he had rejected

Mr. Kumbhani’s nomination saying there was discrepancy in the signatures of the proposers in the form and they did not appear to be genuine.

The nomination form of Congress’s substitute candidate Suresh Padsala was also invalidated on the same grounds.

‘BJP intimidating voters’ State Congress chief Shaktisinh Gohil accused the BJP of “intimidating” voters and asking them to either vote in its favour or refrain from voting in the poll. The ruling party in the State was misusing the government machinery, he said.

The Congress also released a phone number for voters to share evidence, if any, against police or administrative o¦cials trying to intimidate or pressure them. Mr. Gohil urged voters to make a video or audio recording of the same, and send it to WhatsApp number 8200059989.