SMC polls: 157 nominations rejected during scrutiny

Surat: Scrutiny of nomination papers for the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections began on Monday, with leaders and party workers thronging election offices as officials examined candidates' forms. Party representatives also lodged objections where they flagged discrepancies or misleading information.The Congress candidate from Ward 12 (Nanavat–Saiyedpura–Kubernagar–Mahidharpura) had his nomination rejected after an error in the party name. Bhupendra Patel mentioned "INC" instead of "Bhartiya Rashtriya Congress" in the relevant column, party sources said. A Congress spokesperson confirmed the disqualification.Crowds of candidates and supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress gathered at the collector's office, with a tense atmosphere prevailing as detailed scrutiny progressed.Officials said 157 of the 1,059 nomination forms filed for 30 wards were rejected till late evening, leaving 902 valid. As the verification process is being conducted online, scrutiny was expected to continue late into the night.The rush followed scenes on April 11, the final day for filing nominations, when parties faced last-minute confusion after announcing candidate lists late. By the close of filing, 1,060 candidates had submitted forms.For the 120 seats, the BJP filed 512 nomination forms, including those of official and dummy candidates. Congress submitted 188 forms, while AAP filed 185. Another 175 candidates from other parties and independents also entered the fray.April 15, after a public holiday, has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal of nominations.
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