© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
From 2009 to 2021, there have been three general elections and two by-elections on the Mandi seat. Congress has had a significant presence in these elections, winning three times. In the general elections of 2009, Virbhadra Singh, and in the by-elections of 2013 and 2021, Congress candidate Pratibha Singh was elected as the Member of Parliament from the Mandi seat.
Voting in Mandi Lok Sabha seat, which has 17 assembly segments, is being held together with the Lok Sabha polls on June 1.
Kangana Ranaut, BJP:
Adding a Bollywood twist to the Lok Sabha elections in the hill state, the BJP announced Kangana Ranaut’s candidature from the Mandi parliamentary seat.
Kangana’s candidature did not come as a surprise to political observers. The actor, who is a self-professed fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had been hinting at a career in politics for over two years now. She was also present at the Ram temple consecration.
A party insider said Kangana was a natural choice, given that she was born in a small town of Mandi district. Her great-grandfather, Sarju Singh Ranaut, was an MLA. Her mother, Asha Ranaut, retired as a schoolteacher from Mandi, and her father, Amardeep, is a businessman. Her mother had once said the family was initially a Congress supporter but had shifted to the BJP due to Kangana.
The nomination came a day after Kangana’s 37th birthday on March 23. The actor visited the Baglamukhi and Jwala Devi temples in Himachal to celebrate the occasion.
Vikramaditya Singh, Congress:
Vikramaditya’s mother Pratibha Singh, the sitting MP from Mandi and the Congress’ state unit president, too had won the Mandi parliamentary seat thrice. She lost in 2019 but won the 2021 Mandi Lok Sabha byelection with a big margin which, many believe, was due to the sympathy wave in her favour following the death of her husband Virbhadra Singh who had been a six-time Himachal chief minister.
The two-time MLA from Shimla (rural), Vikramaditya Singh also stressed on his Hindu identity, stating that he is a Hindu and he believes he has the blessings of Lord Ram.
The titular king of the erstwhile princely state of Bushahr, Vikramaditya Singh appealed to the electorate to cast their votes based on the performance of the candidates.
Vikramaditya Singh’s name was expected to be announced as the Congress candidate from Mandi parliamentary constituency, especially since his mother (Pratibha Singh) had expressed reluctance to contest the election from Mandi this time.
