After targeting Kangana Ranaut, Vikramaditya surprises many by wishing BJP veteran Dhumal a day late on his birthday

 The Newz Radar

MANDI: Himachal Pradesh PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh has extended birthday greetings to his father’s political rival and former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, but the wishes came a day late on April 11 whereas the BJP veteran celebrated his 80th birthday on April 10 (2024).

“Happy Birthday to former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal,” wrote the young and dynamic Congress leader in a message posted on social media platform Facebook. Having a knack for staying in the spotlight, Vikramaditya has 3,72,000 followers on Facebook. Through his active presence on social media, he consistently stirs political discussions with his followers.

Sonia Gandhi’s photo on wall
After the recent series of Facebook posts targeting Kangana Ranaut, the Bollywood actor BJP candidate from Mandi Lok Sabha seat, Vikramaditya’s latest post has caught many by surprise, particularly those in the Congress. The royal scion shared a photo featuring himself alongside former Chief Minister and prominent BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal, extending birthday wishes to him. The photo also features former Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s portrait in the background, which is hung on the wall and slightly visible.

Vikramaditya’s father and six-term Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh and Dhumal were sworn political rivals and both ruled Himachal in alternative five-year terms from 1998 to 2017 when the BJP stalwart lost the Assembly election from Sujanpur and Jai Ram Thakur replaced him as the Chief Minister.

‘Cordial ties’ with BJP leaders
“Certain actions are considered unusual in today’s political landscape, especially when elections are looming and one is contesting against the leader’s party. Moreover, Vikramaditya has been ending all his posts with “Jai Shree Ram”, a style usually followed by BJP leaders,” says a political analyst.

Vikramaditya had earlier surprised many in the Congress by wearing a saffron scarf around his neck, leading to speculation of his potential crossover to the BJP. He had also openly praised BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for his commendable work. He also maintains a cordial relationship with Dhumal and his son and Union Minister Anurag Thakur. “While it’s not uncommon in politics to occasionally meet leaders from rival parties for networking, publicly posting a photo with the highest-ranking leader of the opposition party on social media is certainly something that cannot be dismissed as routine,” says the analyst.