Comedian Shyam Rangeela’s nomination rejected in Varanasi

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, 15 May, rejected the affidavit of comedian Shyam Rangeela, who filed his nomination from Varanasi as an Independent candidate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to the poll panel's website, out of 55 candidates, the forms of 36 nominees were rejected while the affidavits of 15 candidates, including PM Modi and Congress' Ajay Rai, were accepted.

Shyam Rangeela had filed his nomination as an Independent candidate from Varanasi on Tuesday. The comedian-mimic had also alleged that he was prevented from submitting his nomination papers.

Rangeela told reporters that despite his efforts to file his nomination since 10 May, he was denied access to the district magistrate's office on the day Prime Minister Modi submitted his nomination papers.

Once a follower of PM Modi, Rangeela had earlier said the situation had changed in the last 10 years which is why he decided to contest elections from Varanasi.

"In 2014, I was a follower of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I shared many videos supporting the prime minister. Videos were also shared against Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal. Seeing them, one could say that I will vote only for the Bharatiya Janata Party for the next 70 years. But the situation has changed in the last 10 years. I will now contest against the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate," he had announced.

Rangeela gained fame for mimicking PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi on a comedy show.

Varanasi will go to the polls in the seventh and final phase on 1 June.