Kangana Ranaut Vs Vikramaditya Singh In Mandi?

Mandi, if the comments made by current member of Parliament and Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh are to be believed, will see a high octane Lok Sabha election this time. Vikramaditya Singh, son of Pratibha Singh and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and currently a member of the state legislative assembly, will be fielded by Congress in the prestigious constituency. The Mandi constituency is already in the news due to the high-profile candidature of actor-politician Kangana Ranaut as a BJP candidate.

Vikramaditya Singh currently represents Shimla Rural constituency.

“Discussions were held on the 2-3 names that we shortlisted. It depends on the high command, on Mallikarjun Kharge that what names they approve. All our senior leaders believe that this time a young leader should be fielded (in Mandi). So, a consensus has been reached on the name of Vikramaditya (Singh)…The names will be finalised soon,” Pratibha Singh told the media after Congress’ candidates’ selection meeting in Delhi.

When asked about Kangana Ranaut’s comments on the Congress candidate, Pratibha Singh stated that the BJP candidate could say what she had to say on behalf of her party. “We are here to speak about what we did in Mandi for years. It is a very safe seat for us. We won this in difficult times,” she added.

Following the death of his father, the 35-year-old Congress candidate became the titular king of Bushahr, a princely state in Shimla. He joined politics in 2013 and later won his first election from Shimla Rural in the year 2017. A cabinet minister in the state, Mr. Singh has a master’s degree in history from St. Stephan’s College, University of Delhi.

The two-time MLA has also served as the state youth Congress president in the past. Previously, Mr. Singh had challenged Ranaut to hold a debate with him. Questioning her contributions, vision, and planning for the future of Mandi and its people, Mr. Singh said that he would pray to Lord Ram to provide “good sense” to her.

Defying party lines, Mr. Singh was the sole MLA from Congress who attended the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.