Shimla: In the midst of her Lok Sabha election campaign in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, Bollywood actress and BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut finds herself embroiled in a viral photo controversy. Reacting to a widely circulated image of her alongside underworld figure Abu Salem, Ranaut took to Instagram to deny any association with the gangster.
The controversy erupted when the image, showing Ranaut with Abu Salem, surfaced on Facebook under the profile of Gurvaksh Singh Thakur, a purported Congress spokesperson. BJP Election Cell Secretary Jagdish Sharma lodged a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer Manish Garg, accusing the Congress of orchestrating a smear campaign against Ranaut.
In her Instagram post, Ranaut clarified that the photo was taken during a promotional event for a film, where she was pictured alongside Mark Manuel, a former entertainment editor associated with a leading english daily. Ranaut condemned the circulation of the fake photo as a shameful act by the Congress party, emphasising that it was a deliberate attempt to defame her amidst the ongoing election race.
Talking to the media, Jagdish Sharma said, "We have come here to lodge a complaint regarding a photo posted by Gurvaksh Singh Thakur, a Congress spokesperson from Karsog block showing BJP candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut with gangster Abu Salem. Ranaut has also condemned the Congress party's smear campaign and has clarified that the picture was of Mark Manuel and not Abu Salem."
As the electoral battle heats up in Mandi, both parties are leaving no stone unturned to sway public opinion in their favour.
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