Shimla:

The stage is set for a battle in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi Lok Sabha seat as the Congress on Saturday fielded state minister Vikramaditya Singh, the titular ruler of the erstwhile state of Bushehr, against BJP candidate and actor Kangana Ranaut. What is standing against?

Himachal Pradesh PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh is the son of six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh and sitting MP from Mandi and Congress state unit president Pratibha Singh.

Historically, the Mandi constituency has favored former royal states, electing the royal family in 13 of 19 elections, including two by-elections since 1952.

Vikramaditya Singh, a two-time MLA from Shimla (Rural) assembly constituency, is not new to the parliamentary constituency as his father and mother have won the seat thrice. In the 2021 Lok Sabha by-election, Mr Singh had campaigned extensively for his mother.

Even before his candidature was announced, Vikramaditya Singh was involved in an altercation with the actor and politician of Bollywood film ‘Queen’ fame and did not throw a punch.

Last Thursday, Kangana Ranaut lashed out at Vikramaditya Singh and said that it is not your father’s or grandfather’s estate to threaten me and send me back.

The BJP candidate’s retaliatory move came in response to Vikramaditya Singh’s jibe over his alleged comments on eating beef a few days ago.

Mr. Singh said, “I pray to Lord Ram to give her wisdom and hope that she will go back to Bollywood from ‘Dev Bhumi’ Himachal as she will not win the elections because she is the people of Himachal. I don’t know anything about it.”

She asks why he is not showing proof of his eating beef.

“I have made a name for myself in the film industry without the help of my father and mother… I want to enter politics and serve the people,” she said, adding that politics is an expression of service and to the King. A beggar to any person is entitled to this expression.

Factors working in Kangana Ranaut’s favor are former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and senior BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur’s market dominance and the fact that the party has won all nine assembly constituencies under the parliamentary constituency.

BJP leader Khushal Thakur, the Kargil war hero who lost to Pratibha Singh by a margin of 7,490 votes in the November 2021 Lok Sabha by-election, has extended his support to Ms Ranaut. “There are more than one lakh ex-servicemen in this parliamentary constituency”, he had earlier told PTI.

Additionally, BJP leader and Kullu titular king Maheshwar Singh, who had earlier opposed Ms Ranaut’s candidature, has backed her.

Eight of the 17 assembly constituencies under the Mandi Lok Sabha seat are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes.

Since 1952, this parliamentary seat has been represented by Amrit Kaur, the ruler of the Kapurthala dynasty, and Raja Joginder Sen Bahadur of Mandi state once each, Raja Lalit Sen of Suket twice, Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh three times and By Maheshwar Singh. Three times

Three-time KMP and former Union Minister Sukh Ram, two-time winner Ram Swarup and Ganga Singh were exempted from the market and did not belong to the royal family.

(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)