Will PM Modi secure a hat-trick of victory in Varanasi? Shyam Rangeela, Ajay Rai among 40 competitors
Varanasi: Varanasi, also called Kashi, is one of the oldest cities in the world. Situated on the banks of the sacred river Ganges, it holds immense significance not only culturally but also politically. The parliamentary constituency of Varanasi is represented in the Lok Sabha by none other than the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Narendra Modi, a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has won the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat twice consecutively. In both the 2014 and 2019 general elections, PM Modi secured resounding victories. In 2014, he won the seat by a margin of 3.72 lakh votes, and in 2019, he extended his lead, securing a victory margin of nearly 4.8 lakh votes.
Despite PM Modi’s formidable presence in Varanasi’s political landscape, several contenders have stepped forward to challenge his dominance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
PM Modi’s challengers
Shyam Rangeela
Shyam Rangeela, a comedian renowned for his mimicry prowess, particularly his mimicry of PM Modi. He filed his nomination late on Tuesday night amid his allegations of being “barred” from entering the magistrate’s office. Earlier in an X post, Rangeela said, “They can reject my papers. But at least, take the documents”.
However, after filing the nomination papers, he shared another post on X, stating, “our good wishes and support gave me strength, and today, albeit late, the nomination was done. After completing all the documentation, procedures and overcoming other hurdles, we are now on the verge of becoming an option for the people of Varanasi. Just wait for two-three more days, let the symbol arrive, we will fight with full strength, with your support.”
आप सबकी शुभकामनाओं और सहयोग से मुझे ताक़त मिली, आज देर से ही सही, नामांकन हो गया 🙏🏽
सभी दस्तावेज और प्रक्रिया के साथ अन्य आ रही बाधाओं को पार करके हम अब वाराणसी के लोगों का ऑप्शन बनने की दहलीज़ पर है,
अभी बस दो तीन दिन का और इंतज़ार, चिन्ह आ जाये , लड़ेंगे पूरे दम से, आप सबके… pic.twitter.com/A1nqueq11H— Shyam Rangeela (@ShyamRangeela) May 14, 2024
Shyam Rangeela hails from Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. He had announced to contest against PM Modi from Varanasi on May 1.
Ajay Rai
Ajay Rai, former BJP leader, is the new president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC). Rai is contesting against PM Modi for the third time after two defeats. Earlier, Rai had ditched BJP to join Samajwadi Party as the saffron party denied him ticket from Varanasi. However, he lost the election. In 2012, Rai joined Congress and won the state assembly elections from Pindra constituency.
Athar Jamal Lari
Athar Jamal Lari is the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) candidate from Varanasi. Lari, a local from Varanasi, has traversed through various political affiliations, including stints with the Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Apna Dal, and the Quami Ekta Dal. Despite his unsuccessful attempts in previous elections, Lari will try his luck in this Lok Sabha elections to represent the people of Varanasi on a national platform.
41 candidates filed nomination from Varanasi
Apart from the PM, 27 more candidates have filed their nomination for Varanasi seat. Before this, 14 candidates had filed their nominations. The candidates who filed nomination on May 14 include PM Narendra Modi- BJP, Santosh Kumar Sharma- Fundamental Rights Party, Hemant Kumar Yadav- Humanidad Bharti Party, Suresh Pal- Rashtra Uday Party, Ramkumar Jaiswal- Independent, Yashwant Kumar Gupta- Gandhian People’s Party, Nityanand Pandey- Independent, Amit Kumar- Independent, Vijay Nandan- Janhit Kisan Party, Sunil Kumar- Indian National Samaj Party, Shyam Sundar – Independent, Parvez Qadir Khan- Peace Party, Yogesh Kumar Sharma- Independent, Vedpal Shastri- Vanchit Insaaf Party, Surendra Reddy- Independent, Surendra Narayan Singh- Election Coordinator, Vinay Kumar Tripathi- Log Party, Dinesh, Kumar Yadav- Independent, Reena Rai- Independent, Neha Jaiswal- Independent, Ajit Kumar Jaiswal- Independent, Ashok, Kumar Pandey – Independent, Sandeep Tripathi- Independent, Harpreeti Singh- All India Family Party, Narsingh – Independent, Tushar Mittal – Independent, Vikram Kumar Verma- Independent.