The story so far: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on May 15 rejected comedian Shyam Rangeela’s nomination from Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi parliamentary constituency, stating that it was “incomplete.” Varanasi, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term, is scheduled to vote in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1.
The 29-year-old stand-up comic from Rajasthan, who shot to fame for impersonating the Prime Minister, had submitted his nomination papers as an independent candidate. He had been alleging difficulties in submitting his nomination since May 10. After the rejection of his nomination, Mr. Rangeela in a video message on X alleged that citizens were being deprived of their right to contest polls and that while he did not hope to win, he wanted to send out a message.
Explaining why he decided to contest against PM Modi, Mr. Rangeela had earlier said, “We saw what happened in Surat and Chandigarh and what is currently happening in Indore. I do not want the same situation to occur in Varanasi. Even if one person wants to vote against a candidate, they have the right to do so. Hence, I decided to contest from Varanasi.”
