Kangana Ranaut, who ran a vigorous campaign in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, is predicted to win the seat against Congress’s Vikramaditya Singh, according to the News18 Mega Exit Poll. Supported by top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Ranaut’s campaign has been robust. The BJP is also expected to secure all four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh, as per the poll.
Traditionally, the Congress has held a strong grip on the Mandi seat. The late Virbhadra Singh represented it three times, and Pratibha Singh also won it thrice, including two by-polls. Their son, Vikramaditya Singh, is currently contesting the seat. The BJP’s Maheshwar Singh first won the seat in 1989 and served until 2004. Ram Swaroop Sharma held the seat from 2014 until he died in 2021.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP achieved a massive vote share of 69.3% in Mandi against the Congress’s 29.1%, winning all four seats in Himachal Pradesh—Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, and Hamirpur—by more than three lakh votes each, buoyed by the Modi wave.
This election cycle presented a tougher battle, with the Congress currently in power in Himachal Pradesh after winning the assembly elections a few months ago. The Congress highlighted its management of a recent monsoon disaster and announced a Rs 45,000-crore special package from state funds to demonstrate crisis management capabilities. A major issue in the assembly polls was the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which the Congress promised to implement and hoped to leverage in the Lok Sabha elections.
However, the Congress faced internal divisions, evidenced by a rebellion from six MLAs, creating a significant crisis within the party’s local ranks and affecting the morale of local Congress workers in some areas. Throughout the campaign, the BJP has tried to exploit this internal discord within the Congress.
As the exit polls suggest, Kangana Ranaut is poised for a significant victory in Mandi, supported by the BJP’s strong campaign machinery and the internal struggles of the Congress. If the predictions hold, Ranaut will likely add another victory to the BJP’s impressive record in Himachal Pradesh.
