Kangana Ranaut is contesting from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, as a BJP candidate, this is her first time contesting in election.
New Delhi, 28 March 2024
Amidst mounting controversy surrounding her recent comments about actor Kangana Ranaut, the Congress party has taken a decisive step, withdrawing Supriya Shrinate as its candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Shrinate, who contested from Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, faced defeat against BJP’s Pankaj Chaudhary. The Congress party, instead, has nominated Virendra Chaudhary to fill Shrinate’s place.
The decision to withdraw Shrinate as a candidate comes after she received significant backlash for her derogatory social media post directed at Kangana Ranaut, who is also contesting from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, as a BJP candidate. In her Instagram post, Shrinate’s words, “Kya bhav chal raha hai Mandi main koi batayega?,” with a photo of actress Kangana , which sparked the controversy.
Despite Shrinate issuing an apology, claiming that the offensive content was posted by someone with unauthorized access to her social media accounts, the controversy only intensified. The Election Commission also intervened, issuing a show-cause notice to Shrinate regarding her post.
Ranaut, in response, took to social media to address Shrinate’s comments, advocating for the empowerment of women and calling for an end to stereotypes.
Prateeksha Kumari is a journalist and strategic communications professional specialising in digital journalism, political reporting, and public affairs. Her work focuses on grassroots issues, governance, and civic developments, with an emphasis on clarity, accuracy, and narrative-driven reporting.
She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla and has qualified the UGC-NET examination, reflecting her academic grounding in media studies and communication research. Her reporting spans politics, public policy, health, education, and socio-economic issues, and she is experienced in bilingual (Hindi and English) content creation tailored to diverse audiences.
Alongside her journalistic work, she brings experience in political communication and public relations, where she has contributed to campaign messaging, media outreach, and narrative building. She has worked on integrated communication strategies across print and digital platforms, combining editorial judgment with audience insight and data-led content approaches.