Even though Congress is yet to announce its candidate, sitting MP and Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh is the front runner to take on film-star and BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut from the Mandi Parliamentary constituency of the state.
The Congress leader on Friday said the people of the state want somebody from her family to contest this Lok Sabha election, indicating her willingness to contest the high-octane polls.
She said people have a sentimental attachment with former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and that is the reason why people always support our family and want somebody from this family to contest this election.
Wife of Virbhadra Singh and the mother of Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh, Pratibha Singh, who is an MP from Mandi, had last week announced not to contest the election as the ground situation was not favourable and workers were disheartened.
However, she changed her stand on Thursday saying, "If the central Congress leadership gives me the command to contest Lok Sabha elections from the Mandi seat, I will follow." Her statement came after a meeting of the six-member committee constituted by the Congress to ensure better coordination, chalk out the strategy and discuss the names of probables was held.
"Whenever the Congress was in power and Virbhadra Singh was the CM, he always worked for the development of the state and whatever development you see around, was done by him," she said and appealed to the voters to wholeheartedly support the Congress as the party has worked for the development of the state.
Development and welfare of the public would be the main focus during the elections and issues of unemployment, inflation, "unfulfilled" promises of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and corruption would be raised.
When asked about film star Kangana Ranaut given ticket by the BJP from the Mandi constituency, she said challenge is always there in elections and it is for the people to decide who they like and want to see as their MP. Referring to "instability" in the Congress after the recent rebellion and six disqualified party MLAs joining the BJP, she said that with time the party will make the workers stronger and infuse enthusiasm so that they go into the field and start working.
When asked that some BJP leaders are reportedly keen to join the Congress after the BJP gave tickets to six Congress rebels from their respective constituencies, she said, "We will talk to our own party's people before deciding on taking BJP leaders who are willing to join the Congress."
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has claimed that some BJP leaders are in contact with him.
Kangana Ranaut holds roadshow in Mandi, attacks Cong over derogatory remarks
Meanwhile, actor Kangana Ranaut Friday launched a scathing attack on Congress over its leader’s derogatory remarks on her and Mandi from where she is contesting the Lok Sabha polls on BJP ticket.
Ranaut began her Lok Sabha election campaign here with a roadshow hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with “Jai Shri Ram” and asserting that the BJP’s main agenda is development.
The roadshow witnessed a large number of people trying to get a glimpse of the Bollywood actor, a four-time National Award winner who was born in Mandi’s Bhambla town. In her maiden election rally at Sarkaghat town, the actor, while referring to the derogatory comment of Congress leader on her and Mandi, said, “Jo betiyon aur behno ke bhaav lagate hai, wo aapke kabhi nahi ho sakte” (those who fix rates of daughters and sisters can never be faithful to you).
Congress leaders Shrinate and H S Ahir kicked up a huge political row with derogatory comments on Ranaut and Mandi posted on their social media handles.
Mandi is named after Mandav Rishi and Prashar Rishi who did “tapasya” here. The biggest Shiv Ratri fair is celebrated here. It is unfortunate that those who know nothing about Mandi are making such statements, Ranaut said during the roadshow.
“Development is BJP’s main agenda and we will spare no effort to win the elections under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi,” she said, adding that the “people of Mandi will tell what is in their hearts”.
Attacking Congress for misleading and confusing people by saying that she would return to Mumbai after winning the elections, Ranaut asserted that she was “fortunate to return to her motherland to serve the people”.
“I will always be accessible to you, I am your daughter and sister and nobody can stop you from coming to me,” she said.
Several times during her address, Ranaut switched to the local Mandeali dialect which struck a chord with the people. Ranaut mentioned the names of her family members and said that all the people of Sarkaghat are her family.
The actor said that her journey in the film industry was not smooth and she was constantly “bullied” for hailing from Himachal Pradesh and not speaking good English, but she always felt proud that she is from Mandi. “I have constructed a small Devi temple in my village and have built a house in Manali. I had struggled and worked hard to carve a niche for myself,” Ranaut said.
“It is not that my father or husband is chief minister and I have joined politics,” she said in an oblique attack on sitting Congress MP Pratibha Singh and her son PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh.
On Wednesday Vikramaditya Singh had shared a letter of Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol authorising works of his constituency to someone and said that I pray to Lord Ram that such situation does not arise in Mandi. Vikramaditya Singh had targeted Kangana by indirectly comparing her to Sunny Deol, another actor-politician in the BJP camp, who has been criticised for his absences from Parliament and his Lok Sabha constituency.
This was Ranaut’s first public appearance in her constituency after getting the BJP ticket on March 24.
At present, the Mandi Lok Sabha seat is being represented by HP Congress chief Pratibha Singh, who won the 2021 Lok Sabha bypolls.
The election to four Lok Sabha seats of Shimla, Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra would be held along with by-elections in six assembly seats in the last phase on June 1. While the BJP has announced its candidates for the four Lok sabha and six assembly seats, the Congress has not announced its candidates so far.
