Shimla: The Mandi Lok Sabha constituency is all set to witness a tough battle on June 1 as Congress's state minister Vikramaditya Singh is up against BJP candidate and actor Kangana Ranaut.
The first public meeting of Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu is set to be held on May 2 in Purana Bazar in Karsog in BJP stronghold, Mandi district.
PWD minister Vikramaditya, son of six-time chief minister late Virbhadra Singh is the king of Bushahr, the former princely state. Vikramaditya has strong political lineage as this seat has been won by his parents thrice. On the other hand, Kangana is pinning her hopes on BJP's support and the party's victory in all nine assembly seats of this constituency.
Despite BJP's dominance in this constituency, Congress does not want to take Mandi lightly and is putting all its strength to ensure Vikramaditya's victory. In view of the CM's public meeting tomorrow, the party leaders and workers have been given a target of gathering maximum people so as to create a psychological pressure on the BJP.
According to political observers, Congress's road to Mandi will be quite a tough one. Taking the results of the previous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections into consideration, the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha election results and the 2017 and 2022 Assembly election results had not been anything special for the Congress.
Although Congress government was formed in the state in 2022, the poll results in Mandi were not encouraging for the party. Similarly, the party had fared badly in this seat in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It is now to be seen whether Congress is able to make its mark in Mandi.
In the previous 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP's Ram Swaroop Sharma had won this seat by a margin of 4,05,459 votes. He had bagged a total of 6,47,189 votes. On the other hand, Congress's Ashray Sharma managed only 2,41,730 votes. As per vote share, BJP got 69.14 per cent while Congress got 28.82 per cent.
Congress had failed to withstand the 'Modi storm' in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. At that time, BJP's Ram Swaroop Sharma had won by a margin of 39,856, securing 3,62,824 votes while Congress's Pratibha Singh, wife of former CM late Virbhadra Singh got 3,22,968 votes. BJP's vote share was 49.94 per cent and Congress's 44.46 per cent.
There are 17 assembly constituencies in five districts under Mandi parliamentary constituency. Of which, nine assembly seats are under Mandi district, four in Kullu district, one each in Lahaul Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba and Shimla districts. Last time, BJP was successful in taking lead in all 17 seats and in 2014, the party took lead on 12 seats. Only five assembly constituencies went to Congress's kitty.
An analysis of Congress's performance reveals that in 2022, the party won five of 17 seats under Mandi parliamentary constituency. In Mandi district, Congress was able to win only Dharampur assembly seat out of 10 constituencies. Similarly, in 2017 assembly elections, BJP won 14 out of 17 seats from Mandi and Congress won two seats while one seat was won by an independent candidate.
Political expert Dhananjay Sharma said that BJP's position has been good compared to Congress in the last two Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Mandi. This time, it will be an interesting contest as actor Kangana has been pitted against youth leader Vikramaditya.
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