In the race for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress has put up Vikramaditya Singh, the son of six-term chief minister Virbhadra Singh, against Kangana Ranaut of the BJP. Historically, the position has favored the scions of former princely nations.
Lok Sabha Election At Mandi Seat : The Congress has nominated state minister Vikramaditya Singh, the nominal monarch of the former princely state of Bushahr, to challenge BJP candidate and actor Kangana Ranaut for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh. This race is expected to be tough.
With a strong political background, Vikramaditya Singh is the son of Virbhadra Singh, the six-time chief minister, and Pratibha Singh. Both Singh’s mother and father had three victories in the seat. Singh ran an anti-mother campaign in the 2021 Lok Sabha bypoll.
However, Kangana Ranaut is counting on the backing of senior BJP figure and former chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur, as well as the party’s triumph in each of the nine assembly seats that make up the parliamentary constituency.
Additionally, Ranaut has received backing from BJP leader and Kargil war hero Khushal Thakur, who was defeated by Pratibha Singh in 2021 by a margin of 7,490 votes. “This Parliament constituency has over one lakh former servicemen,” Thakur had previously told PTI.
Maheshwar Singh, the putative monarch of Kullu and a prominent member of the BJP, who had earlier opposed Kangana Ranaut’s candidacy, now backed her as well.
Intense debates between the two contenders have characterized the race, with Ranaut defending her independence and dedication to public service. “I have made my name in the film industry without the help of my father and mother… I want to join politics and serve the people,” she stated.
Politics, she said, is an expression of service, and everyone has the right to express themselves, whether they king or beggar.
Conversely, Vikramaditya Singh’s ignorance about the people of Himachal Pradesh. “I pray to Lord Ram to give her wisdom and hope she goes back pure from ‘Dev Bhoomi’ Himachal to Bollywood because she will not win the elections as she knows nothing about the people of Himachal,” he stated.
Ranaut’s alleged remarks about consuming beef were another topic Singh questioned Ranaut about. The BJP candidate questioned Singh about why he was not providing any proof of the same.
Due to its historical preference for the offspring of previous princely states, the Mandi constituency has elected royals in 13 of the 19 elections held since 1952.
Virbhadra Singh and his spouse Pratibha Singh three times each, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur of the Kapurthala dynasty and Raja Joginder Sen Bahadur of the princely state of Mandi once each, Raja Lalit Sen of Suket twice, and Maheshwar Singh three times have all held the Mandi seat.
The only others not in the running were two-time winner Ram Swaroop, Ganga Singh, and three-time Mandi MP and former Union minister Sukh Ram.