The Election Commission has rejected nominations of 33 candidates, including that of comedian Shyam Rangeela, from the Varanasi seat where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate.
Comedian Shyam Rangeela, known for his videos mimicking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had filed his nomination papers for the seat on May 14, hours after the PM completed the formalities.
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Overall, the poll panel had received nominations from 40 candidates for the prestigious seat in Uttar Pradesh. With 33 rejected, six candidates are in the fray against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Election 2024: Comedian Shyam Rangeela alleges obstruction in filing nomination against PM Modi from Varanasi
Varanasi will vote in the seventh and the last phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on June 1. The last day for filing nominations for the last phase was May 14, and the nominations were scrutinised on May 15.
6 candidates up against PM Modi
According to the Election Commission of India‘s website, 33 nominations were rejected, leaving only six candidates in the fray against PM Modi in Varanasi.
These include Congress party leader Ajai Rai, Bahujan Samaj Party leader Ather Jamal Lari, Gagan Prakash of Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), Paras Nath Keshari of Rashtriya Samajwadi Jankranti Part, and independent candidates Sanjay Kumar Tiwari and Dinesh Kumar Yadav. A candidate Kolisetty Shiva Kumar of Yuga Thulasi Party is mentioned in both ‘accepted’ and ‘rejected’ candidates on the poll panel’s website.
The last day to withdraw nominations for the seventh phase of polling is May 17. We would know the final candidates in the fray after that.
‘Dil zaroor toot gaya, hausla nahi’
Rangeela took to social media to react to the rejection of his nomination papers by saying that it has ‘broken’ his heart but not his courage.
Earlier, Rangeela had alleged that he has not been allowed to file his nomination papers.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi files nomination from Varanasi
PM Modi won the Varanasi seat by a margin of nearly 4.8 lakh votes in 2019 elections. In the 2014 elections, the PM won the seat by a margin of 3.72 lakh votes.
Who is Shyam Rangeela?
Born and brought up in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh, Rangeela studied animation. He is known for his mimicry skills, especially of political figures. On May 1, he announced his wish to contest against PM Modi in Varanasi.
Twenty-nine-year-old Rangeela shot to fame for the first time in 2017 when his mimicry act of PM Modi became widely popular on social media. Since then, Rangeela has been making videos mimicking the PM’s speeches and interviews.
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Published: 15 May 2024, 07:55 PM IST
