Shimla, Mar 25
The BJP, relying on the allure of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut in the Himachal Pradesh Lok Sabha election, seemed to have overlooked veteran party leader Maheshwar Singh, scion of the Kullu royal Dynasty.
Reacting to Kangana’s political debut, Singh made a satire on the party’s central leadership. Commenting on the shortlisting of the Bollywood actress for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, the scion of the royal family said, “The party has also conducted a survey, so it is possible that Kangana is ahead of me in the survey, and I might be behind.”
He added that there are great scholars, intellectuals, and experienced people in the central leadership, and they have chosen Kangana as the candidate only after careful consideration.
Maheshwar Singh, a ticket aspirant from the Mandi seat and senior BJP leader, stated that he would not oppose anything. If the party asks him to campaign, he would join the campaign. “It is possible that the party does not currently need him and his support, as the election progresses like this.”
Maheshwar Singh also congratulated Kangana for making her debut in electoral politics after working in the Bollywood industry.
In the fifth list of Lok Sabha election candidates, the BJP decided to field Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, who is a resident of Sarkaghat in Mandi district and resides in Manali, as one of the candidates from two states.
Though no clarity as of now, but is is possible that Ranaut is likely to face Congress’s sitting Member of Parliament, Smt. Pratibha Singh, widow of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who is also the Congress state chief.
The BJP has given a ticket to Kangana Ranaut as Mandi is considered a stronghold of Congress. Previously, Pt Sukh Ram, Virbhadra Singh, and Pratibha Singh held this parliamentary seat for the ruling party. However, the BJP has won this seat three times, with Maheshwar Singh and Pt Ramswaroop winning it on three occasions for the BJP.
The BJP also changed the ticket of sitting MP Krishna Kapoor from Kangra LS, as Dr. Rajeev Bhardwaj was announced as the party candidate.
The BJP also decided to field Union Minister Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur for the fifth time and Suresh Kashyap for the Shimla reserve seat for the second time, both of whom are sitting MPs. The BJP changed the candidate on the two seats, and two will recontest again.
State byelections were also announced in six assembly constituencies in Dharmshala, Lahaul Spiti, Sujanpur, Badsar, Gagret, and Kutlehar after the disqualification of six Congress MLAs from these seats for defying party whips.
The Congress party has not yet announced any candidates, and the list of probable candidates is before the party high command.
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