The poll campaign of the BJP’s novice, Bollywood actress, Kangana Ranaut in the Mandi Parliamentary constituency in Himachal Pradesh is influenced more by glamour than political content.
Kangana, who hails from Mandi district, has been moving around in this constituency, the largest in Himachal Pradesh with all the three tribal seats also forming a part of it, for nearly one month now.
All through she has tried to strike a local chord and impress the voters by speaking the Pahari language, mingling with locals in their traditional attire and posing for pictures with them. “Do you know wherever I go, people call me a Pahari girl? I am so proud of it. I have struggled hard to get this position in Bollywood. I have stepped into the political field now. I would work very hard in this field also,” she said, not forgetting to refer to another successful Bollywood actress from Himachal, Preity Zinta in her political meeting in Rampur Bushahr, the area that otherwise falls in Zinta’s home district Shimla.
Her colourful dress and address in poll meetings, however, lack a political approach against formidable Congress contender and hardcore politician, Himachal's Public Works Department minister, Vikramaditya Singh in Mandi.
A parallel pro and anti-campaign is running on social media also, with enthusiasts discussing the pros and cons of her personality and her speeches actively.
Popular for her strong roles in movies and her bold utterances in the film industry, Kangana is attracting crowds but has not been able to continue with sharp attacks in the poll arena in her home state after initial attempts as people here are politically aware and emotionally.
All her wordings targeted at Vikramaditya, who has politics in his blood being former six times Congress Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh’s son and two-time MLA in a row himself, have backfired. Whether it was her comment ‘Chhota Pappu’ and ‘Raja beta’ targeted at Vikramaditya, everything got a soft, yet solid reply from the Congress leader.
Kangana has been seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi with little knowledge of the local issues in Mandi, but is instilling confidence in people that she would get their works done.
Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister, Jai Ram Thakur is seen campaigning for her, but seemingly many senior BJP leaders, including Maheshwar Singh from Kullu, who was a contender for ticket this time, are not very visible in her campaign.
Kangana’s popularity and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direct support are to her advantage in the poll battlefield.
The Congress leaders in the Mandi Parliamentary constituency feel that the Virbhadra family has a solid support base on the Mandi seat, which has been represented by the former CM himself and then his wife, Pratibha Singh (Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee President) thrice. Pratibha Singh is the sitting MP from Mandi at the moment, as she won the seat in a by-poll facilitated by the BJP MP, Ram Swaroop Sharma in 2021.
Vikramaditya, who is seen as a potential political leader in Himachal Pradesh, has so far launched gentle political attacks against Kangana. “She is like my elder sister. No doubt she is a very popular actress. But politics is not her forte. She does not know the issues of the Mandi Parliamentary constituency from where she is fighting. And she won’t be available to people locally, as she lives in Mumbai,” said Vikramaditya in his dispatch on social media.
He even questioned Kangana about where was she when the state was reeling under the worst natural calamity last year and the Mandi Parliamentary constituency suffered much damage.
“We stood with the people of Mandi then. Not Kangana. She did not come once or offered to help the state or people of Mandi,” he said. He referred to her as ‘controversy queen’ in one of his interviews and has challenged her to join him for an issue-based debate at Sehri Manch in Mandi in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls.
Touching BJP’s ‘Hindutva’ agenda, Vikramaditya has tried to catch the attention of voters towards his father, Virbhadra’s contribution to the state, wherein the latter had pioneered to bring a Bill against religious conversions in the state. Vikramaditya refers to his visit to the inauguration of Ram temple in Ayodhya on 22 January this year, for which he had specially got the invitation.
Yet, what Kangana has also raised against him, Vikramaditya’s move to resign from the ministry during the Congress rebellion in March this year, retracing his decision and simultaneously trying to get in touch with BJP high command, was generally not received well by the people.
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