Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Indian parliamentary elections witnessed a rare occurrence on Monday (April 22) as BJP candidate from the Surat Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat Mukesh Dalal won unopposed. This came after the poll body rejected the nomination of Congress candidate Nilesh Kumbhani after his proposers claimed that they didn't sign his papers. The Congress' backup candidate Suresh Padsala also met the same fate, effectively removing the party from the electoral contest in the key city of Gujarat.
His victory from the Surat parliamentary constituency comes close on the heels of 10 BJP candidates winning uncontested in the just-held assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh.
The election of a candidate unopposed to Lok Sabha took place after over three decades, with the last such instance being recorded in 1989.
However, Dalal was not the first candidate in Indian history to have been elected unopposed to Lok Sabha. There have been 23 candidates before him who have attained this feat. India elected its first parliament in 1951-52 in which Anand Chand won from the Bilaspur seat as an Independent. Mohammad Shafi Bhat was the last candidate from Srinagar to have won the Lok Sabha election unopposed in 1989. Since then, no candidate could register its name in the list for years, until 2024 when Mukesh Dalal won unopposed.
What is an unopposed election?
The Election Commission of India’s handbook for returning officers outlines the procedure for "unopposed returns," stating that if a constituency has only one candidate contesting, that candidate is declared duly elected immediately after the deadline for withdrawal of candidature, obviating the need for a poll.
A notable instance of an uncontested victory in the Lok Sabha occurred in 1980 when Farooq Abdullah, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, secured his seat in Srinagar without opposition. Another such win transpired in 1989 when Mohammad Shafi Bhat of the National Conference replicated Abdullah’s success, clinching the same seat unopposed.
While most candidates have won polls unopposed in general or regular elections, there have been at least nine, including Dimple Yadav, who have won bypolls uncontested.
Taking a look at all the candidates who have won unopposed in the history of Indian parliamentary elections:
- Anand Chand (Independent): Bilaspur in 1951 Lok Sabha Elections
- TA Ramalingam Chettiar (Congress): Coimbatore in 1951 Lok Sabha Elections
- T Sangana (Congress): Rayagada-Phulbani in 1951 Lok Sabha Elections
- Krishna Charya Joshi (Congress): Yadgir in 1951 Lok Sabha Elections
- Major General HS Himmasinhji (Congress): Halar in 1951 Lok Sabha Elections
- D Satyanarayana Raju (Congress): Rajamundry in 1957 Lok Sabha Elections
- Sangam Lakshmi Bai (Congress): Vicarabad in 1957 Lok Sabha Elections
- Bijoy Chandra Bhagawati (Congress): Darrang in 1957 Lok Sabha Elections
- Mangrubabu Uike (Congress): Mandla in 1957 Lok Sabha Elections
- HJ Siddananjappa (Congress): Hassan in 1957 Lok Sabha Elections
- Manabendra Shah (Congress): Tehri Garhwal in 1962 Lok Sabha Elections
- TT Krishnamachari (Congress): Tiruchendur in 1962 Lok Sabha Elections
- Harekrushna Mahtab (Congress): Angul in 1962 Lok Sabha Elections
- Kanuri Lakshmana Rao (Congress): Vijayawada in 1967 Lok Sabha Elections
- R Brahma (Congress): Kokrajhar in 1967 Lok Sabha Elections
- Mohammad Shafi Qureshi (Congress): Anantnag in 1967 Lok Sabha Elections
- Kushok Bakula Rinpoche (Congress): Ladkah in 1967 Lok Sabha Elections
- Senayangba Chubatoshi Jamir or SC Jamir (NNO): Nagaland in 1967 Lok Sabha Elections
- PM Sayeed (Congress): Lakshadweep in 1971 Lok Sabha Elections
- Rinchin Khandu Khimre (Congress): Arunachal West in 1977 Lok Sabha Elections
- Chatra Bahadur Chhetri (Congress): Sikkim in 1977 Lok Sabha Elections
- Farooq Abdullah (JKNC): Srinagar in 1980 Lok Sabha Elections
- Mohammad Shafi Bhat (JKNC): Srinagar in 1989 Lok Sabha Elections
- Mukeshkumar Chandrakaant Dalal (BJP): Surat in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections
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