Amid charges of kidnap & pressure tactics, last-minute withdrawals hits Congress hard

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Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT The last day of withdrawal of nominations for the April 26 Gujarat local body elections witnessed high drama with the Congress struggling to keep its flock together as some of its candidates withdrew from the contest at the last minute. In at least two districts, complaints of Congress candidates being “kidnapped” were filed by their family members. Bharat Kambad, a Congress candidate for Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation released a statement saying that he was not kidnapped and that he had gone away from Bhavnagar as the date for withdrawal of nomination drew near “to protect himself and democracy from any kind of pressure, allurement or threat” . ALSO READ | April 26 local body polls: BJP fields over a dozen leaders’ kin in 4 major Gujarat cities, party says they are already in politics In Kheda district, Chikhlod seat in Fagvel taluka will see fresh elections as all candidates withdrew their nominations, including those of the BJP, Congress and independents. Across the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara, at least nine candidates of the Congress withdrew from the contest – four in Ahmedabad, two in Surat and two in Vadodara — reportedly without taking their party into confidence. ALSO READ | Local body poll in Chikhlod seat postponed as all candidates withdraw nominations In Surat, the Congress has allegedly whisked its candidates away to Udaipur, Daman and Vapi, to protect them from what the party alleged was “pressure tactics of the BJP”, and yet two candidates reportedly “sneaked out” and withdrew their nominations. Thus, In Surat Municipal Corporation’s 120 seats, the Congress will contest in 117 seats, as one candidate’s nomination was rejected. Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil has alleged in a statement on X that “false kidnapping cases are being filed by intimidating family members (of the Congress candidates)”. He posted the notarised affidavit by Bharat Kambad on his X handle where the candidate has said the reports about his kidnapping are “rumours”. Two Congress candidates – Sanjay Ramanandi from ward no. 18 and Bonnie Patel from ward no. 1 – reached the Surat district collector’s office, “bypassing the Congress leaders”, and submitted withdrawal forms. Their statements were recorded on video in which they said they were “not under any political pressure” and their withdrawal was “voluntary”. ALSO READ | In Gujarat, 8 go to HC for inclusion in post-SIR voter list, 7 win Forms of three AAP candidates: Girish Chauhan from ward no. 20, Jagrutiben Baldaniya from ward no. 27 and Darshana Bhavsar from ward no. 21, and one of the Congress Bhupendra Solanki, from Ward No. 12 were rejected. Surat City Congress president Vipul Udhnawala told The Indian Express, “The BJP is using all its machinery to get our candidates to withdraw their nomination forms. They are using tactics such as luring our candidates with money, threatening their businesses, and creating social pressure on them. We have somehow saved most of our candidates; Only two, on whom we had placed more faith, have surrendered to them. We had already learnt about the BJP’s tactics, so we have taken out candidates to Udaipur, Vapi, and Daman, in banquet halls and farmhouses, etc. Seventy of our candidates are not only fresh faces but are new to the party”. In Ahmedabad, Congress candidate Pradeep Patel from Chandlodiya ward and candidate from Sarkhej ward Varis Alvi withdrew their nominations. Congress’s Bharat Bharwad had withdrawn on Monday. Another setback for the party in the municipal corporation was from Thaltej ward where Congress candidate Ramilaben Thakor too withdrew, while the other woman candidate Falguni Rawal did not reach on time to file her nomination from the reserved seat of Vasna. ALSO READ | Gujarat Confidential: Ex-BJP MLA in Congress Congress candidate Kanu Prajapati of Ward-11 of Vadodara city withdrew his form on Wednesday, a day after he went “incommunicado”. The Congress alleged that Prajapati was “escorted by police and BJP leaders” to the election office when he withdrew his nominations. Prajapati had filed nominations to contest from the ward where BJP fielded Upendra Prajapati, son of former Congress Vadodara Mayor Dalsukh Prajapati. On Wednesday, Prajapati arrived at the office of the Mamlatdar in Akota, accompanied by BJP leaders, and withdrew his nomination. Congress leaders, who were present at the spot, protested and chanted slogans accusing the saffron party of “murdering democracy”. Congress city president Rutvij Joshi alleged that BJP leaders had threatened and lured Congress candidates. “Two of our candidates were out of contact since yesterday– from Ward 11 and 2 and today they, accompanied by BJP leaders, withdrew their nomination papers. The BJP is scared of losing this election and so they have adopted unfair means by misusing its power to commit the murder of democracy,” Joshi alleged. Congress candidate from Ward 2 of the VMC Bhoomika Prajapati also withdrew her nomination form — she was also accompanied by BJP leaders. The VMC has a total of 76 councilor seats. In Dabhoi taluka of Vododara district, Congress and BJP leaders came to blows after party candidate from Lingsthali seat Arvind Patanwadia withdrew his nomination form “in a surprise move”. Congress taluka president Sudhir Barot and BJP MLA Shailesh Mehta engaged in a verbal spat and allegedly came to blows outside the taluka election office. The police intervened and ensured Mehta’s departure even as BJP and Congress workers clashed at the spot. ALSO READ | ‘Digital signature valid’: Gujarat HC directs poll body to include Ahmedabad man in electoral roll for civic polls In Rapar taluka of Kutch district, the police are investigating a complaint regarding the alleged kidnapping of Congress candidate Rajesh Bhil from Bhimasar village. He went missing three days ago and is still untraceable. On Wednesday, the Junagadh district police booked a candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party from the Osa seat of the Junagadh taluka panchayat, Nilesh Hardas Malam, for possessing illicit liquor worth Rs one lakh. Elections to 15 municipal corporations, 84 municipalities, 34 district panchayats and 260 taluka panchayats totalling to 9,952 seats will be held on April 26, and the results declared on April 28. (With inputs from Ritu Sharma and Brendan Dabhi in Ahmedabad) Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs. Expertise Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs. Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including: Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives. Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress. Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli). Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read More Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram