‘Cheated by EC, shooed away by DM’: Shyam Rangeela alleges trickery in nomination rejection

Comic Shyam Rangeela, whose nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat was rejected, has alleged that the Election Commission has not only cheated him, but also duped 24-25 other candidates like him who had come to file their nomination.

Rangeela, who had submitted his nomination papers on Tuesday (May 14) in a post on Wednesday (May 15) said that it has been rejected as he did not take oath.

The comic, who has been recounting his harrowing experience of filing the nomination through a series of posts on X, in a latest entry said that the episode was proof that the basic right of a citizen to fight election in a democracy has been murdered.

Rangeela is best known for his video mimicking Prime Minister Modi

“It was a well-orchestrated plan by the commission to cheat me and 24-25 candidates. The basic right of a citizen to contest elections has been murdered. There are some people who are pointing fingers at me. I would tell them to go and ask the other candidates, they wouldn’t have come here for publicity stunts,” Rangeela said in a post on Thursday (May 16)

DM told me if I was on a picnic: Rangeela

After his nomination was rejected, Rangeela had alleged that he faced hurdles in filing it and that authorities did not accept his documents on time.

In a video posted on X on Wednesday, Rangeela, who wanted to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, accused the District Magistrate (DM) of Varanasi of literally shooing away him and his supporters when he requested the former to accept his rectified affidavit.

Rangeela said after he was told that he had not submitted an oath in addition to his affidavit, he immediately rectified it and reached the DM’s office to submit it well before the stipulated deadline of 11.59 pm on May 14. He alleged that officials, however, told him to come in the morning and that nothing can be done now. Despite being asked to leave, Rangeela said he waited for DM, but when the latter arrived he misbehaved with him, asking him if he was on a picnic.

“As you can see in the video, we have reached the place with the documents and the official present there is asking us to come in the morning. We waited there for the DM. Then the DM comes and when we tell him that we have brought the affidavit on time, he yells at us and tells us, ‘you think you are on a picnic here, wandering in the night? Get lost’,” Rangeela says in the video.

Rangeela alleged that the DM then asked the police personnel present there to evict him and his supporters from the premises.

Responding to Rangeela’s video, S Rajalingam, the DM of Varanasi told the comic in a post that he was apprised of the deficiencies in his nomination paper before it was cancelled.

“Your nomination paper was scrutinized in your presence and you were informed about the deficiencies. Your nomination paper has been cancelled because the affidavit submitted by you was incomplete and you did not take the oath/affirmation, a copy of the order of which has also been made available to you,” the post said.

‘Lawyer not allowed, friend beaten up’

Earlier in the day, Rangeela had informed supporters that his nomination was rejected while alleging that officials at the nomination centre had not only been uncooperative but abusive too. He also alleged that while his lawyers was not allowed to accompany him, his friend was beaten up at the nomination centre.

“Today, my nomination was rejected… Today, the DM told me that there was some issue with my documents and that I didn’t take the oath… They didn’t let the lawyers go in with me and called me alone. Now, the reason they gave is that I didn’t take an oath and that it was on me to take an oath. I said you didn’t ask me to, and they responded it isn’t their work," he added.

“27 nominations were submitted yesterday and 32 were rejected today, I feel like laughing at the Election Commission, should I laugh? Or should I cry?” he said in another post on Wednesday.