Surat (Gujarat): The election officer has cancelled the nomination papers of the Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani from Surat Lok Sabha constituency over alleged "fake signatures of people who signed as witnesses."
While cancelling the nomination, the Collector wrote in the order that the signatures of the people who have signed as witnesses in the nomination form of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani and his dummy candidate Suresh Padshala are fake.

While giving the order, Election Officer Dr. Sourabh Pardhi said that even at the time of nomination of Nilesh Kumbhani, three people who had signed were not present. Apart from this, it was found during investigation that the signature given in the nomination of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani was wrong. Due to this, the candidature of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani and dummy candidate Suresh Padshala is cancelled.

After the cancellation of the Congress' candidate nomination, the party has no candidate in the battle for the Lok Sabha seat. All 26 seats of Gujarat will go to the polls in a single phase on May 7.