Shimla, July 24
As the fervor surrounding the recent Lok Sabha election in Himachal Pradesh continues to simmer, as an election petition was filed on Wednesday by a rejected candidate from the Mandi constituency in the Hinachal high court. In the matter, notices have been issued to BJP MP Kangana Ranaut. Pertinent to mention that after Rajya sabha poll petition this one is the second which has knocked the door of the Himachal High Court
According to the petitioner’s counsel media byte, the court has issued a notice in the petition, and the respondent, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, is required to file a reply by August 21.
The petition challenges the rejection of the nomination of Independent candidate Laik Ram Negi from Kinnaur district. The petitioner argues that although his nomination was rejected before the election, he had met all eligibility criteria and submitted all necessary documents.
Layak Negi, who is a resident of Kinnaur district, had applied as an independent candidate for the post of MP from Mandi parliamentary seat, whose nomination was cancelled by the Election Commission after scrutiny.
After cancellation, a challenge petition can be filed only after 45 days, today Layak Ram Negi, through advocate Sanjeev, has challenged the election of Kangana Ranaut in the High Court, in which notice has been issued to Ranaut.
The petitioner highlighted that under the Representation of the People Act, any candidate can approach the court within 45 days of the election.
The BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut, who was elected in the Mandi Parliamentary election, has been named as a respondent by the petitioner.
The next date of hearing has been fixed as 21-08-2024.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, reportedly nominations were mysteriously rejected and withdrawn in the Surat constituency of Gujarat and Indore constituency as well. The challenge to the Mandi election is made under Section 100 of the Representation of the People Act, which allows the court to declare the election null and void if the petitioner can prove that his nomination papers were unlawfully rejected.
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