Shyam Rangeela's nomination for Varanasi Lok Sabha election rejected by EC

Shyam Rangeela, a comedian known for his impersonations, has had his nomination for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat rejected The rejection was due to his failure to submit the required affidavit. On May 14, he successfully filed his nomination and posted a video on X (formerly Twitter). However, a day later, the Election Commission of India's website showed that his nomination was rejected.

Efforts to File Nomination Blocked: Shyam Rangeela
A day before, Shyam Rangeela claimed that despite his attempts to file his nomination since May 10, he was denied access to the district magistrate's office on the day Prime Minister Modi submitted his nomination papers. He stated, "Winning or losing is a different matter, but I will contest the elections against the Prime Minister at any cost. I am not contesting elections to become famous, I am already very famous among the public."




Shyam Rangeela Alleged Administrative Hurdles
Congress leader Surendra Rajput supported Shyam Rangeela, emphasizing that everyone, including Prime Minister Modi, has the right to file nominations. Rajput claimed that the administration was not providing Rangeela with the necessary nomination papers.

"Everyone is free to file a nomination including PM Modi. However, other people are not allowed to file their nominations from the constituency. A YouTuber named (Shyam) Rangeela, who wished to file a nomination from Varanasi, isn't getting nomination papers from the administration. Why is PM Modi afraid of people? Let them contest against you," said Rajput.

Political Context and Candidates
Prime Minister Modi is seeking a third term from the Varanasi constituency, having won by significant margins in previous elections, with 4.8 lakh votes in 2019 and 3.72 lakh votes in 2014. Fourteen individuals have submitted their nominations, including Congress candidate Ajai Rai and Bahujan Samajwadi Party's Athar Ali Lari. Rangeela, a YouTuber and mimic from Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, gained popularity in 2017 for his impersonation of PM Modi.

The Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh will go to polls in the seventh and last phase of polling on June 1. The counting of votes for the Lok Sabha election will be on June 4.

(With inputs from TOI)