In a significant legal development, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued a notice challenging the election of BJP MP Kangana Ranaut from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. The court has directed Ranaut to respond to the petition by August 21, raising questions about the validity of her victory in the 2024 elections.

The petition, filed by Layak Ram Negi, a resident of Kinnaur, seeks to overturn Ranaut?s election, alleging procedural errors during the nomination process. Negi, who had contested the Mandi seat as an independent candidate, claims that his nomination papers were wrongfully rejected by the returning officer, the Deputy Commissioner of Mandi.

Ranaut, a prominent actor-turned-politician, won the Mandi seat with a significant margin, defeating Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh by 74,755 votes. Ranaut secured 5,37,002 votes compared to Singh's 4,62,267 votes.

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Justice Jyotsna Rewal, who is overseeing the case, has now asked Ranaut to address the allegations made in the petition. Negi, an ex-employee of the forest department, had submitted his nomination papers along with a "no dues certificate" from his previous employer. However, he was reportedly given just one day to provide additional certificates from the electricity, water, and telephone departments.

Negi asserts that when he submitted these additional documents, they were not accepted, leading to the rejection of his nomination papers. He argues that had his papers been accepted, he might have won the election. The petition highlights concerns about the fairness of the electoral process and demands that Ranaut?s election be set aside.