The Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued notice to BJP Lok Sabha member Kangana Ranaut concerning a petition aimed at overturning her recent election victory. The petition was filed by a Kinnaur resident, who claims that his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha seat were wrongfully rejected.
Justice Jyotsna Rewal has directed Ranaut to respond by August 21. The BJP candidate emerged victorious from the Mandi constituency, defeating Congress rival Vikramaditya Singh by a significant margin of 74,755 votes. Ranaut secured a total of 537,002 votes, while Singh garnered 462,267 votes.
The petitioner, Layak Ram Negi, an ex-forest department employee, argues that the returning officer, the Deputy Commissioner of Mandi, improperly rejected his nomination. Negi claims he submitted a “no dues certificate” from his department along with his nomination papers but was given insufficient time to acquire additional documentation from other utilities.
Despite submitting the required certificates, his nomination was ultimately rejected. Negi contends that had his nomination been accepted, he would have had a viable chance of winning the election and is requesting the court to nullify Ranaut’s victory.
