The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to Kangana Ranaut, the BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Mandi, in response to a petition challenging her recent election victory. The petition was filed by Layak Ram Negi, a resident of Kinnaur, who claims that his nomination papers were unjustly rejected, preventing him from contesting the election. Justice Jyotsna Rewal has directed Ranaut to submit her response by August 21.
Negi, a former employee of the forest department, argues that he submitted his nomination papers on May 14 and provided a “no dues certificate” as required. However, he alleges that the returning officer, the Deputy Commissioner of Mandi, requested additional clearance from the electricity, water, and telephone departments. Despite complying with these requests, his nomination was ultimately rejected.
In his plea, Negi contends that had his nomination been accepted, he could have won the election. He is seeking to annul Ranaut’s election based on what he describes as irregularities in the nomination process. Ranaut won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat by a significant margin of 74,755 votes against her Congress opponent, Vikramaditya Singh. The case now awaits Ranaut’s response as the legal proceedings unfold. This situation highlights the ongoing challenges and complexities within the electoral process, as well as the scrutiny faced by elected officials in India.