The Congress on Tuesday alleged that its candidates in both Surat and Indore were threatened, intimidated and bulldozed into withdrawing their nominations, and asked why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi "so nervous" and "afraid" even in traditional BJP bastions.

The Congress' Indore Lok Sabha seat candidate Akshay Bam withdrew his nomination on Monday, a fortnight before polling in the constituency.

Earlier, the Congress' Surat candidate's nomination form was rejected over discrepancies, paving the way for the BJP nominee to get elected unopposed from the seat in Gujarat.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Since 1984 the Congress has not won Surat and Indore Lok Sabha seats. Yet in 2024 Congress candidates in both seats were threatened, intimidated and bulldozed into withdrawing their nominations." "Why is the PM so nervous and afraid even in traditional BJP bastions?" he said.

The Congress on Monday had said there is a "threat to democracy" and wondered if there is a free and fair poll when the Election Commission "looks the other way" while candidate after candidate is being "intimidated".

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