Shimla:

The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Wednesday issued notice to Kangana Ranaut, the BJP Lok Sabha member from Mandi, on a petition filed by a Kinnaur resident for setting aside her election on the grounds that his nomination papers to contest from the Lok Sabha constituency were allegedly wrongly rejected.

Issuing the notice, Justice Jyotsna Rewal directed Ms Ranaut to file a reply by August 21.

Ms Ranaut had won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, defeating her rival Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh by 74,755 votes. She had polled 5,37,002 votes against Singh’s 4,62,267 votes.

Pleading for setting aside the election of Ms Ranaut, the petitioner, Layak Ram Negi, maintained that his nomination papers were wrongly rejected by the returning officer (Deputy Commissioner, Mandi) and also made him a party.

Negi, an ex-employee of the forest department, said that he got premature retirement and produced a “no dues certificate” from the department along with nomination papers to the returning officer.

However, he was given a day to produce the “no due certificate” from the electricity, water, and telephone departments and when he submitted them, the returning officer did not accept them and rejected the nomination papers.

He pleaded that he could have won the election had his papers been accepted and said that the election be set aside. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Newly-elected BJP MP and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has asked people in her Lok Sabha constituency, Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, to bring their Aadhaar Cards with them if they want to meet her, drawing Congress’ ire.

Speaking to reporters, Ms Ranaut also said the purpose of their visit will have to be written down on paper so that they don’t face any inconvenience.

“Himachal Pradesh attracts a lot of tourists, so it is necessary to have an Aadhaar card from the Mandi area. Your work related to the constituency should also be written in the letter so that you don’t have to face inconvenience,” she said.

“Tourists come so much that common people face a lot of inconveniences,” she said.

She also said that if people from Himachal’s northern region want to meet her, they can visit her home in Manali, while people in Mandi can visit her office in the city.

“It is better when you meet in person regarding your work,” she added.

Congress Attacks Kangana Ranaut

Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh, who lost to Kangana Ranaut from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, attacked his rival and said if the people want to meet him, they “don’t need to bring the Aadhaar card”.

“We are people’s representatives. So, it is our responsibility to meet people from every section of the state. Whether it is a small task, a big task, a policy matter, or a personal work, it does not require any identity. If a person is coming to a public representative, they are coming for some work,” Mr Singh, who is also the sitting state Public Works Minister, told reporters.

“Asking people to bring their papers for a meeting is not right,” Mr Singh, the son of six times Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, said.

Kangana Ranaut is sure. And says so is everybody else about Prime Minister Narendra Modi returning to power for a third straight term.  

“It has not happened in the history of our democracy where polling is underway, votes are yet to be counted, yet everybody knows PM Modi is coming back… Everyone is waiting for him to take oath for the third time, Ms Ranaut, BJP candidate from Mandi, told NDTV on Tuesday.

PM Modi, accompanied by a galaxy of leaders from party and alliance partners, filed his nomination from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh earlier today.

Varanasi will vote in the seventh and final phase of this election – on June 1. In the 2019 poll, PM Modi won by nearly 4.8 lakh votes, a big jump from the 3.72 lakh winning margin five years earlier.

Ms Ranaut, BJP candidate from Mandi, also filed her nomination today. Downplaying her nomination on the same day as the Prime Minister’s, she called it a “small coincidence” and a “good omen” for her.

“There were two good muhurat days, depending on your chart. I was suggested 10 and 14, and I chose 14 because I am number 5. And I  thought I should go with number 5. Luckily, today our PM also filed his nomination. A good coincidence for me. I will say it is my lucky charm.  I am thrilled. Even if it’s a small coincidence, it’s a good omen for me,” said the actor, making her electoral debut.

The Mandi constituency holds symbolic significance for the Congress, as it is considered a bastion of the Virbhadra family.

Ms Ranaut will square off against Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh, the son of late former chief minister Virbhadra Singh.

“I have been fortunate to have a very successful film career. Probably, I am the only one to have come from a rural area and make it so big in the film industry. I am quite optimistic that I learn the job pretty soon and will be able to do something significant,” she said about her priorities.

“Sabka saath, sabka vikas is our agenda. From airport to railways to coonnectivity…going to work on overall development,” she added.

The BJP, which won all four Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the 2019 elections, is eyeing an encore this time.