The Newz Radar
MANDI: From Mandi parliamentary constituency in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress has declared Vikramaditya Singh as its candidate, setting the stage for a battle between two young faces in Mandi.
While Vikramaditya (35) carries a royal legacy and a known political linage in the state, Kangana Ranaut (37) is a Bollywood “Queen” who rarely backs out of challenges. Kangana brings with her an energy into politics where she touches controversial issues and openly endorses the BJP’s Hindutva ideology.
Confirming the official announcement made from Delhi on Saturday, Vikramaditya wrote on his Facebook post, “With full blessings from Ayodhya, the battle of Mandi will resonate throughout the country.” After the official announcement of Vikramaditya’s candidacy from Mandi, the competition for the Mandi parliamentary seat has become quite intriguing. What was once seen as a one-sided contest is now shaping up to be a fierce battle of equals.
Vikramaditya hails from a prominent political family that has a longstanding connection with this parliamentary constituency dating back 57 years. Vikramaditya’s father, Virbhadra Singh served as the state’s Chief Minister six times and rose to the pinnacle of politics from the Mandi parliamentary seat.
He contested his first Lok Sabha election from here in 1971, receiving a record 71.95 per cent of the votes, defeating his opponent Mandhar Lal, who received only 16.14 per cent of the votes. However, in the 1977 elections, amidst the wave of the Janata Party, he faced defeat from Ganga Singh Thakur. In the 1980 elections, Virbhadra Singh was elected as MP from Mandi for the second time. Three years later in 1983, under the leadership of the Congress, he was appointed Chief Minister again and sent back into the state’s politics.
Kangana’s Bollywood struggles and triumphs
As for Kangana, her family background includes her great-grandfather Sarju Singh, who has been elected twice as a legislator from Sarkaghat Assembly constituency, previously known as Gopalpur. Apart from this, she doesn’t have much in terms of a political legacy.
If Kangana has been given the ticket by the BJP, it might be because she singlehandedly carved her own identity in Bollywood through her acting and struggles, without any godfather, and shook the male-dominated film industry by producing female-centric films, leaving everyone astonished.
In an industry dominated by left wing, Ranaut has defiantly espoused the right wing ideology. Kangana’s controversies with big producers and directors in Mumbai are always a topic of discussion, but she has taken herself to the top even in those circumstances, which shows her capability.
2 cr vs 4 lakh social media followers
Kangana gained nationwide recognition when she openly supported Modi’s policies and politics through her social media posts. Since the announcement of Kangana’s ticket from Mandi, she has actively participated in election activities with the BJP.
Kangana is a famous actress with over two crore followers on Facebook and Instagram, known for expressing her views boldly and fearlessly on every subject. BJP has decided to field Kangana considering her feisty image because her presence has become a challenge for them in the Mandi constituency.
Speaking of Vikramaditya, he has only four lakh followers, but these are the people who are directly associated with him and know him well. Vikramaditya is a well-known name in state politics because people like him for his courage to speak the truth to those in power. He even doesn’t hesitate to speak against his own party and oppose its wrong ideology.
Rich political legacy to defend
Apart from recognition from his family, Vikramaditya is also widely liked for his own influence in the state. Vikramaditya’s mother Pratibha Singh is currently the Member of Parliament from Mandi. In 1998, she entered the electoral arena for the first time. She contested against Maheshwar Singh of the BJP and faced defeat.
Pratibha contested again in 2004 and avenged her 1998 defeat by defeating Maheshwar Singh to become an MP for the first time. In the 2009 elections, her husband Virbhadra Singh contested and emerged victorious. He became an MP for the third time. After becoming the Chief Minister, Virbhadra resigned from his parliamentary seat in 2012.
There was a byelection in May 2013, which won by defeating BJP’s Jai Ram Thakur to become an MP for the second time. She had contested against Ramswaroop Sharma of the BJP in 2014 and was defeated. Subsequently, Pratibha contested in the byelection in November 2021 and became an MP for the third time.
Virbhadra’s family won 6 of 9 polls
In this parliamentary constituency, both Virbhadra and Pratibha Singh have contested a total of nine times, winning six times and losing three times.
Kangana doesn’t have much experience in politics. Today, the BJP is taking her to every corner of the parliamentary constituency, trying to familiarise her with the people at the booth level. Kangana is known to everyone, but she doesn’t know many people.
Mandi parliamentary constituency is the second largest in the country in terms of area with 17 Assembly seats. In the previous assembly elections, the BJP won 12 seats and the Congress five. According to the numbers, BJP seems to have the upper hand, and to maintain their dominance, the BJP has been actively involved in electoral preparations with Kangana for a long time.
The BJP knows that both people and the constituency are new to Kangana, and reaching out to the people of the constituency as a politician will be a long process for her. This is nothing new for Vikramaditya, and his relationship with the public is very close because he has been touring the entire parliamentary constituency with his mother for the past two years, interacting with the people. He is a minister in the state government and influences people significantly with his personality.
Kangana a major crowd-puller
The BJP knows that Kangana is always in the headlines for her controversial statements, so she has been kept away from the media glare as much as possible, and direct conversation is being discouraged. It’s essential for people to gather wherever Kangana is seen, as there is a separate craze among people to see actors up close.
Secondly, Kangana has a unique style that people like, and they want to emulate it. But how far the BJP manages to convert it into votes is a matter of wait and watch. The entire BJP’s Mandi team, including former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, is extensively touring with Kangana these days.
Kangana who is known for her rebellious behaviour responded aggressively when she was targeted by Vikramadity for her old posts and interviews and also for her profession as an actress.
Her remarks did not go down well with the Congress, which complained to the Election Commission calling them “derogatory”. However, Vikramaditya’s silence has prevented this controversy from escalating further, but in the coming days, when Vikramaditya participates in the elections seriously, the political banter between the two will continue.
