In a significant move, the Congress Party has decided to replace Supriya Shrinate as its candidate from the Maharajganj constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, according to media reports.
Shrinate, who contested from Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 polls but was defeated by the BJP's Pankaj Chaudhary, has been dropped following widespread criticism of her recent comments regarding actor Kangana Ranaut, who is the BJP's candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi constituency, NDTV reported.
The controversy
The decision to replace Shrinate comes in the wake of a social media post attributed to her Instagram account, featuring Kangana Ranaut alongside a derogatory caption.
Shrinate swiftly disowned the post, asserting that multiple individuals had access to her social media handles, and one of them was responsible for the offensive content.
She clarified her stance, emphasising her commitment to respectful discourse and expressing bewilderment over the incident.
Election Commission's notice
The Election Commission also took note of the controversy, issuing a show-cause notice to Shrinate regarding the objectionable post, further intensifying the scrutiny surrounding her candidacy.
Congress' nomination changes
In its latest announcement, the Congress Party unveiled its eighth list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, comprising nominees from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Jharkhand.
Among the notable changes, Virendra Chaudhary has been named as the Congress candidate for the Maharajganj seat, replacing Shrinate.
Other nominees
Additionally, the Congress Party revealed its candidates for various constituencies across the mentioned states.
In Madhya Pradesh, Rao Yadvendra Singh, Pratap Bhanu Sharma, and Tarvar Singh Lodhi were nominated for crucial seats. Similarly, candidates for Jharkhand (Kalicharan Munda, Sukhdeo Bhagat, Jaiprakashbhai Patel), Telangana (Suguna Kumari Chelimala, Tatiparthi Jeevan Reddy, Neelam Madhu, Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy), and Uttar Pradesh (Dolly Sharma, Nakul Dubey, Shivram Valmiki) were also announced.
