Himachal’s Mandi gears up for mother of all poll battles as Congress hints at fielding Vikramaditya against Kangana Ranaut
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Congress surveys have shown PWD minister as strongest candidate against Bollywood actress
The Newz Radar
MANDI: Vikramadity Singh, a young Congress MLA from Shimla-Rural seat in Himachal Pradesh and the son of six-term Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh, has stirred up the social media with his direct posts targeting Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, who is the BJP candidate from the Mandi parliamentary constituency.
The royal scion’s remarks have come as the two-term MLA leads the list of Congress candidates considered most “favoured” to challenge the famous but controversial actress who has delivered several hits such “Fashion”, “Queen” and “Tanu Weds Manu”. Hailing from Mandi, the BJP is presenting Kangana as “Himachal ki Beti”.
While the BJP has finalised its candidates for all the four Lok Sabha seats and the six Assembly segments where byelections are to be held on June 1, the Congress is still struggling to find suitable nominees.
Sources told TNR that Vikramadity was summoned to a meeting of the state coordination committee in Delhi on Saturday where he was conveyed the party leadership’s consensus to nominate him for the Mandi seat. Party’s surveys also indicate his highest likelihood of winning. Additionally, being a youth leader, he can pose a significant challenge to Kangana.
Vikramaditya’s recent posts against Kangana, although not explicitly naming her, signal his readiness to confront the glamorous Bollywood figure in the prestigious contest.
In his initial post, he referenced to Kangana’s old tweet on “beef eating” and said, “Himachal is a sacred place of gods and goddesses and is called Devbhoomi. Should people who eat beef contest elections from here? This is a matter of concern for our culture and it has nothing to do with politics.”
In his latest post, he assured the public that his campaign would focus only on Himachal and its identity. “I want to assure the public that the elections will be fought only on the issues of Himachal and Himachaliyat.
Whether some people consider Subhas Chandra Bose as the country’s first Prime Minister or Narendra Modi, or we got Independence in 2014 or before that, these things are not important here.”
The Mandi contest promises to be an intriguing one if the constituency, usually represented by veterans alternatively from the BJP and the Congress, witnesses a showdown between Vikramaditya (35) and Kangana (37). One of Vikramaditya’s primary challenges will be addressing the demoralised Congress workers, a situation highlighted by his mother and state unit chief Pratibha Singh last month when she expressed her reluctance to contest.
The core Congress teams have either split into factions or become disillusioned under the current leadership. Additionally, there will be the challenge of resources compared to BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut, which cannot be matched.
Vikramaditya Singh entered politics in 2013-14 when he contested the Himachal Youth Congress election and won. However, the election was nullified by the party high command due to complaints of irregularities. Nevertheless, he was re-elected to the post.
Vikramaditya gained attention when he attended the Ram Temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya as his family received an invitation due to Virbhadra Singh’s enactment of the anti-conversion law and various initiatives to fund temple trusts in the state.
He often wears a saffron scarf around his neck. His social media posts frequently begin or end with ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants.
The Public Works Minister defied the party’s directives to attend the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024. He defended his visit as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “As a Hindu with faith in ‘Dev Samaj’, it is my responsibility to be present on the occasion and witness the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Lord Ram,” he had said.
