Bengaluru: The Congress in Karnataka has received over 60 applications from leaders belonging to different parties from various districts, who want to join the party, its state unit President D K Shivakumar said on Saturday.

"More than 60 applications have come wanting to join Congress from different districts. Allum Veerabhadrappa (senior leader) led committee will scrutinise the applications before inducting people into Congress," Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters after inducting former JD(S) leader Ramesh Babu into the party, he said several applications are under consideration at the local level.

"Those who want to join our party should be able to work by taking local leaders and workers into confidence.So, the applications are being discussed at the local level," he said.

Shivakumar had in June constituted the 12-member committee headed by former state unit chief Veerabhadrappa to screen leaders wanting to join or rejoin the party and give its recommendations.

Inducting Babu, a former MLC, the KPCC chief said it was decided to process his application fast keeping in mind the upcoming Legislative Council polls.

Meanwhile, according to Congress sources, noted transgender activist Akkai Padmashali is expected to join the party on Sunday.

She had recently held discussions with Shivakumar and Congress Legislature party chief Siddaramaiah.

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Ahmedabad, Apr 25: The Gujarat Congress on Friday suspended from the party for six years its Surat Lok Sabha candidate Nilesh Kumbhani, whose nomination form was rejected over discrepancies leading to the BJP's Mukesh Dalal getting elected unopposed.

A statement from the Congress said the party's disciplinary committee decided to suspend Kumbhani after thorough discussion, adding it had come to the conclusion that the nomination form was rejected due to gross negligence on his part or "in connivance with the BJP".

"To be fair to you we have given time to you to explain your case but instead of coming before the party disciplinary committee you have gone incommunicado. After your form was rejected by the authorities, BJP went ahead and got form of other eight candidates withdrawn. This has deprived people of Surat their voting rights," the Congress disciplinary committee headed by Balu Patel said.

"People of Surat and party workers have become very angry due to your action and are expressing their anger in different ways. The Congress party has decided to suspend you for six years from the party," the press note said.

Kumbhani's nomination form was rejected on April 21 after his three proposers submitted affidavits to the district returning officer claiming the signatures on the document was not theirs.

The nomination form of Suresh Padsala, the Congress' substitute candidate from Surat, was also invalidated on the same grounds.

In his order, Returning Officer Sourabh Pardhi said the three nomination forms submitted by Kumbhani and Padsala were rejected after prima facie discrepancy was found in the signatures of the proposers and they did not appear to be genuine.

Kumbhani, a former corporator from Surat, had unsuccessfully fought the 2022 Assembly polls from Kamrej there.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's Mukesh Dalal was elected unopposed from Surat Lok Sabha constituency on April 22 after all other nominees, including one from BSP, withdrew from the fray one by one on the last day of withdrawing papers.