A significant legal challenge has emerged in the aftermath of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as Vijay Anand of the Janhit Kisan Party (JKP) has filed a writ petition in the Allahabad High Court. The petition contests the rejection of his nomination papers by the returning officer for Varanasi, a seat notably won by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The petitioner, hailing from Seoni District in Madhya Pradesh, alleges that his nomination was improperly dismissed on the grounds of an incomplete affidavit—a clerical error he claims was rectifiable during the scrutiny phase. Anand’s legal team argues that this oversight by the returning officer constitutes a legal misstep, as all required documents had been duly submitted and acknowledged by the Assistant Returning Officer in accordance with Election Commission protocols.
The controversy centers on whether the small clerical mistake warranted an outright rejection of the nomination or could have been amended as per election guidelines. The filing includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the defendants, reflecting the high-profile nature of the seat and the election.
