Kangana Ranaut’s Mandi election win gets challenged, Himachal Pradesh HC issues notice to respond to petition by August 21

The Himachal Pradesh High Court issued a notice to actress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Kangana Ranaut on July 24. The notice pertains to a petition filed by Laik Ram Negi, a resident of Kinnaur, who has challenged Ranaut's election victory from the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency.

According to Live Law India, Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua presided over the matter and directed Ranaut to respond to the petition by August 21. This legal action follows Ranaut's victory in the recent elections, where she secured the Mandi seat by a margin of 74,755 votes, defeating her rival, Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh. Ranaut received 537,002 votes, while Singh garnered 462,267 votes.

Laik Ram Negi, a former forest department employee, has based his petition on the assertion that his nomination papers were unjustly rejected by the returning officer, the Deputy Commissioner of Mandi. Negi claims that this rejection was a crucial factor that impeded his ability to contest the election effectively.

Negi’s grievance stems from the handling of his nomination process. He submitted his papers on May 14, 2024, including a “no dues certificate” from his previous employer, the forest department. However, the returning officer allegedly required additional “no dues certificates” from the electricity, water, and telephone departments. Negi was given until May 15 to furnish these documents, which he claims he did. Despite this, the returning officer did not accept the certificates and subsequently rejected his nomination.

Negi contends that this rejection was not justifiable and has had a direct impact on the election outcome. He posits that had his nomination been accepted, he stood a strong chance of winning the election. Therefore, he is seeking the court's intervention to set aside Ranaut's election victory.

The High Court has also made the returning officer a respondent, acknowledging the pivotal role played by the nomination process in this dispute. ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Madhur Bhandarkar’s next is the sequel to Priyanka Chopra-Kangana Ranaut starrer Fashion