Viral YouTuber Shyam Rangila, known for mimicking PM Narendra Modi, was stopped by the Election Commission from contesting in Varanasi. On Tuesday, Rangila's nomination was rejected. Out of 55 nominations, 36 were invalid. Currently, PM Modi and Congress candidate Ajay Rai are among the 15 candidates in the fray. Shyam Rangila claimed on social media that he was not allowed to file his nomination, accusing the district administration of barring him from the Collector's office. He alleged, 'On May 10, I tried to file my nomination but failed. On Tuesday, they didn't let me enter the Collector's office. The District Magistrate said my documents had issues and denied entry to my lawyers. I was called alone, my friend was beaten. Modi ji might act emotional, but I don't like crying. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at the Election Commission.'
The Varanasi DM's office responded on Twitter, saying Rangila's affidavit had errors and did not follow guidelines. 'Your nomination was reviewed in your presence, and we informed you about the discrepancies. Your affidavit was incomplete, so we rejected your nomination. The order copy is available,' tweeted Collector S. Rajalingam.
29-year-old Shyam Rangila from Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, is famous for political mimicry, becoming popular through the TV show 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.' Once a die-hard Modi fan, he turned critic of Modi's policies. He announced his intention to contest against Modi from Varanasi, sharing, 'In 2014, I supported Modi and made videos against Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal. But in the last 10 years, things changed. Now, I will contest against the PM as an independent candidate.'
