Kangana Ranaut’s recent public complaint about receiving a nearly ₹1 lakh electricity bill for her reportedly unused house in Manali has been firmly rebutted by the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board, which clarified that her claim was misleading and lacked key context.
During a rally in Mandi, the newly elected BJP MP had said:
“This month, I received an electricity bill of ₹1 lakh for my house in Manali, where I don’t even stay! Just imagine the conditions here.”
However, officials have now responded point by point:
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The actual bill amount was ₹90,384, not ₹1 lakh, and it covered two months, not one.
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The amount included arrears of approximately ₹31,000–₹32,000, and the current consumption charges for March alone were ₹55,000.
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According to Electricity Board MD Sandeep Kumar, Ranaut has not paid any bill since January 16, despite consistently high consumption levels.
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Her combined electricity usage for January and February was 14,000 units, and a late payment fine was also applied when the dues were cleared only on March 28.
Perhaps most strikingly, her Manali home's power load is 94.82 kilowatts—about 1,500% higher than a typical household. This means her usage and bills are naturally well above normal domestic averages. Even so, she has been receiving a ₹700 subsidy under the government’s power scheme, which she continues to use rather than opt out of voluntarily, as some public figures do.
Adding to the controversy, Kumar revealed that no one from Kangana's team reached out to the power board to clarify or dispute the charges before the issue was made public during her political speech.
The official emphasized that had Ranaut paid her bills on time, the amount due would have been far less, and stressed that public figures should avoid making such misleading claims without verifying the facts.
This exchange is drawing attention not just for the power bill dispute itself, but also because it touches on political narratives in the state—and highlights how easily public discourse can be skewed when key details are left out.
