His mother likely candidate against BJP’s Kangana Ranaut, Himachal minister Vikramaditya hold strategy meetings in Mandi
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TNR Desk
The Himachal Pradesh Congress is set to form on Wednesday (April 3, 2024) its strategy to counter Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut who is the BJP’s candidate for the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency for the June 1 elections.
Himachal PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh, who has been appointed as the Congress’ in-charge for the crucial Mandi constituency, will convene a meeting of the party and its allied organisations in Mandi on Wednesday. The agenda of the meeting will primarily focus on devising a winning strategy for securing the seat, the only constituency in Himachal Pradesh currently held by a Congress MP.
Vikramaditya’s mother and Himachal Congress president Pratibha Singh, the wife of six-time Chief Minister late Virbhadra Singh, represents Mandi in the Lok Sabha. The BJP has nominated Kangana Ranaut as its candidate, sparking a heated electoral contest. While Kangana has commenced her campaign, the Congress is yet to finalise its candidate, though Pratibha Singh’s candidacy is widely anticipated.
Meanwhile, Kangana has been capitalising on statements made by Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, accusing the Congress of disrespecting the pride of Himachal Pradesh and the Mandi region. The strategy meeting will also address how to counter Kangana’s attacks effectively.
Despite Mandi historically being a stronghold of the Congress, the ruling party faces a formidable challenge. Of the 17 Assembly constituencies within the Mandi parliamentary constituency, the BJP candidates have emerged victorious in 12, leaving Congress with only four MLAs following the resignation of Ravi Thakur from Lahaul-Spiti. The byelections in Lahaul-Spiti are also scheduled on June 1.
The Congress’s electoral setbacks in nine seats of the Mandi district during the last Assembly elections underscore the urgency for a robust strategy to reclaim the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur hails from the district.
Since 1951, the Mandi Lok Sabha seat has predominantly been held by the Virbhadra Singh family, with Virbhadra Singh himself elected thrice and his wife Pratibha also serving as MP for three terms. Despite historical dominance, the Congress faced setbacks in the 2014 and 2019 general election amidst the Modi wave.
