The 8 who withdrew in Surat: Their reasons, from ‘depression’ to ‘not wasting govt money’

NEARLY afortnight after the Surat Lok Sabha seat was won uncontested by the BJP, after the Congress candidate’s nomination was declared invalid and eight candidates withdrew, the ripples from it are yet to die down. Days later, the Congress’s Indore candidate dropped out on the last day of withdrawal of nominations, leaving the party without a nominee in the seat.

On Thursday, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said “a beginning” had been made from the two seats, towards achieving the BJP’s target of 400-plus Lok Sabha seats for the NDA.

While the Congress’s candidate from Surat whose papers were rejected, Nilesh Kumbhani, has not been seen in public but has claimed lack of support from own party ranks, the others too remain “missing”. A look at the eight, and their reasons for dropping out, in their words: