Comedian Shyam Rangeela, known for mimicking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has announced that he will run as an independent candidate in the the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, directly against the prime minister.
In a video message posted on X, Rangeela mimicked PM Modi's “one should get a response in their own language” comments. He said he is coming to Varanasi to give the PM “an answer in his own language”.
Rangeela said, "I am excited by the love I am receiving from all of you after the announcement to contest elections from Varanasi. I will soon present my views to you on my nomination and contesting the elections through a video message after reaching Varanasi."
Taking a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party and PM Modi over the electoral bonds, Shyam Rangeela said, “I am excited to contest the election, but this is my first time. So, I would need your support. I don’t have electoral bonds and have not taken from anyone. So, I would need some wealth, too.”
In an earlier post, Rangeela said, "I will contest elections from Varanasi because nowadays no one is sure who will withdraw the nomination."
Rangeela further said, “Even if everyone withdraws their (nomination) papers (in Varanasi), my papers will still be there."
He has also said that he doesn’t worry about the Enforcement Directorate (ED) etc. “If my accounts are checked, they will not find anything. I am the original fakir, jo jhola utha kar chal denge ji (I am the original monk. I will just pick up my bags and leave)."
In December 2016, Modi had referred to himself as a fakir in a speech.
Speaking to the media, he said, "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."
Shyam Rangeela, who hails from Rajasthan, first entered politics by joining the Aam Aadmi Party in 2022. However, shortly after, he decided to work independently, saying that “he is his own master”.
Varanasi will go to poll in the seventh phase of voting in the Lok Sabha election on June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.
