Anand (Gujarat), April 6 (IANS) Six candidates filed a total of eight nomination papers on Monday for the by-election to the Umreth Assembly constituency in Gujarat, with polling scheduled for April 23 as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission.

The nomination process began after a notification was issued on March 30.

According to officials, those who submitted nomination papers on April 6 include Jiteshkumar Sevak (Independent), Mahendra Parmar (Independent), Bhrugurajsinh Chauhan (Congress), Rajnikumari Chauhan (Congress), Nirupaben Madhu (Independent), and Sunilkumar Bhatt (Right to Recall Party).

As per Election Commission guidelines, candidates are required to submit an affidavit in Form-26 along with their nomination papers.

The Congress candidate, Bhrugurajsinh Chauhan, expressed confidence in victory. Ahead of the filing, a gathering named ‘Vijay Vishwas Sammelan’ was held, where party leaders addressed workers.

Speaking at the event, state Congress president Amit Chavda criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stating that its leaders had become “arrogant and authoritarian because of power”.

He said, “This by-election will not immediately change the government, but it will certainly determine the direction of the future,” adding that it was “not merely a contest between two candidates, but a fight to give voice to the pain, anger and demand for justice of the people of Gujarat.”

“The commission money from corruption reaches directly to ‘Kamalam’ (Gujarat BJP office), and the entire system is involved in it,” he alleged.

Senior Congress leaders, including Tushar Chaudhary, Bharatsinh Solanki, Jagdish Thakor and Imran Khedawala, were present during the nomination process along with party workers and office-bearers from Anand district.

Meanwhile, the BJP has fielded Harshad Parmar, son of the late MLA Govind Parmar, as its candidate for the by-election necessitated by his father’s death in March.

Harshad Parmar, who has been active in local governance and has held positions in the Chikhodara gram panchayat, filed his nomination earlier in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and senior leaders.

The BJP is seeking to retain the seat by banking on his grassroots experience and his father’s political legacy.

–IANS

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