Goal Was to Contest, Not Win: How Shyam Rangeela Was Stopped From Fighting Modi

"The game which is being played, how democracy is being toyed with. Now, the game has been played with me," he said.

Shyam Rangeela's nomination to fight from Varanasi was rejected.

(Photo: Chetan Bhakuni/The Quint)

Video Editor: Kriti Saxena

In a conversation with The Quint around a week ago, comedian Shyam Rangeela was positive, brimming with energy to take on PM Modi is his bastion, Varanasi. However, on 15 May, Rangeela was told his nomination was rejected after five days of running around and waiting.

"I had not thought about winning anyway, I knew it would be difficult, winning wasn't the goal, but being able to contest was, to show that people can challenge the status quo in a democracy but even that wasn't done."

Shyam Rangeela to The Quint

But what exactly preceded the rejection of his nomination? Flimsy grounds and intentional delays, Rangeela alleged.

"They have sent out a clear message that the Election Commission is controlled. The game which is being played and how democracy is being toyed with. Now, the game has been played with me," he stated.

Shyam Ragneela's nomination was rejected by ECI.

(Photo: ECI)

Back-And-Forth on the Affidavit & Oath

Rangeela said that it wasn't just him, but many other aspiring candidates, around 300 or so who had come to file their nominations, but they faced a similar ordeal. "There are people who want to fight, but their nomination is not being accepted."

Almost 70% of the people who had come to file their nominations weren't able to do so that day, they went out of the office, shouted slogans and tore up about documents and left.

They had stood in line for 3 days.

Here's what happened.

The last time slot to submit all documents officially was 3 PM, 14 May.

"They only let us go in after 3 PM, didn't let me bring my lawyer Prem Prakash inside too. We were around 30 people, our documents were checked. There was not a single box that was left empty on my form. They told us to give another affidavit at 5 PM even though the deadline was 3 PM," Rangeela recalled.

He was told to submit his affidavit by 11:59 PM on the same day, the PRO had written the time on his document.

The form which mentioned the time stamp.

(Photo: Shyam Rangeela/X)

He continued, "When we went before 10 PM the same night, before the deadline, the DM said, 'How have they even come here? Who let them in?' They had probably assumed that we won't come at night and if we won't, we won't be able to do the pending work they assigned to us."

He also went to the DM's office also and recorded the video to show the time too.

Next morning, Rangeela was informed his nomination was rejected and he went to confront DM Rajalingam and asked him: "I was here at 10 PM the previous day, why did you reject it and put a timestamp of 11:30 PM? Why couldn't you take my document from me?"

They replied, 'It was no time to come, there were not official hours. You are just arguing with us.' When I showed them the form which had 11:59 PM written by their officer, he told me, 'We can write whatever time we want, but the deadline was 3 PM, 14 May. Doesn't matter what we write.'

Shyam Rangeela to The Quint

When it comes to the oath, Rangeela pointed out the following incidents:

• First, candidates had requested for oath the previous day, within the deadline. "Officers, especially the DM told assured us that it will be done later, gave us the slips and told us to leave."

• Second, his lawyer also informed him that the onus for the oath is on the office. "I asked them about it too, I was told it's a just a simple process where the officer and I sign the document and the oath is done. Nothing complex. It's their responsibility to get it done."

• Third, other candidates who had written their oath and attached it to their documents, the officer hasn't signed and told them they have not submitted their oath, "I saw the people facing this. They simply went back on their word."

'A Well-Planed Conspiracy': Rangeela

Moreover, he pointed out that till 14 May, there were 15 nominations, then PM Modi also filed his nomination and now there are only eight nominations which have been accepted.

He alleges that out of the 15, seven were dummy candidates purposely put in place to delay the entire process by 3 PM so others are not able to complete the document process.

Although Rangeela emphasised that he never refused to take the oath, in fact he had asked about it, DM Rajaligam still posted on X blaming him for the nomination's rejection.

DM of Varanasi, Rajalingam maintains the blame on Rangeela that he did not take the oath.

(Photo: Shyam Rangeela/The Quint)

Rangeela observed, "It was a well-thought conspiracy, they knew this would happen. They questioned us with arrogance why we were there at night, why would we go on our whim? Who would want to? They had directed us to do it and we were doing whatever we could as per their order."

Determined to fight the good fight, he said that he "will expose the Election Commission, it was a strategic plan to not let us contest the elections."

When he spoke with The Quint a week ago, Rangeela told us that the reason he entered politics was what he faced since 2017.

Back then an episode of his on TV show 'Laughter Challenge' was stopped from airing. In it, he had impersonated not just PM Modi but also Rahul Gandhi.

There should not be such censorship in comedy, he believes. Rangeela then stopped getting work from TV and his career got affected. That is what propelled him towards politics.

He said, "The purpose with which I wanted to contest the elections, I will still fulfil that purpose despite not contesting. If I had fought, I would have gotten permissions and functioned within restrictions. But my goal and purpose is still alive through my comedy and content: to save democracy."

Rangeela said that unlike others, he does not come from wealth but a family of farmers and doesn't own any lavish properties or capital that would have helped him finance the electoral fight.

All he has is a resolve to talk about voting and democratic and it was this that makes him still persevere.

"I am glad I decided to fight from Varanasi, had I not done it, all these loopholes and tactics wouldn't have come forth. Now people can see for themselves," he concluded.

Varanasi will go to polls in the seventh phase of the current Lok Sabha elections.

(The Quint has reached out to Varanasi DM's office and response will be updated once received).