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The Congress party is speculated to field Vikramaditya Singh, the Minister of Public Works Department and Urban Development in the Himachal Pradesh government, as its candidate from Mandi parliamentary constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024.
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded actor-politician Kangana Ranaut from the constituency – one of the four seats in the hill state, for the last phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024, scheduled for June 1.
The Mandi parliamentary constituency is presently represented in the Lok Sabha by Vikramaditya’s mother, Pratibha Singh, who also holds the charge of state party president. Pratibha is the widow of the late Virbhadra Singh, who served as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh six times. The mother-son duo met Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on April 7.
Vikramaditya Singh, aged 34, a member of the royal Rajput family of the princely state of Bushahr, made headlines in February when he resigned from his ministerial post in the Congress government led by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Singh, who represents the Shimla Rural constituency as an MLA, later withdrew his resignation.”
Also Read: Meet Vikramaditya Singh, the royal who turns Congress rebel in Himachal Pradesh
According to a report in Times of India, Congress has decided to field Vikramaditya Singh after he was found to be more popular than his mother in Mandi and has more appeal among the young voters.
The decision was taken after detailed discussions in the coordination committee meeting chaired by Himachal Pradesh AICC in-charge Rajeev Shukla, the Times of India report said quoting sources.
In an earlier meeting, the Congress had proposed the candidature of Pratibha Singh, who had won the byelection from Mandi in 2021. But now the Congress thinks her son can do better against Kangana Ranaut.
Also Read: Himachal Cong chief Pratibha Singh lauds BJP, says ‘they work better than us’
The BJP has announced names of the candidates from Himachal Pradesh. The Congress is expected to release the names of the candidates from Himachal Pradesh after the central election committee meeting scheduled this week.
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Published: 08 Apr 2024, 10:01 AM IST
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