With Kangana, celebrity culture takes centre stage in Himachal's Mandi

It has been a hub of the royalty. But high-profile Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s entry as the BJP candidate has dramatically transformed the Lok Sabha battle in Himachal Pradesh's constituency.

Although the BJP appears to have the upper hand in the constituency, the Rajput Kangana’s candidature has given birth to several controversies.

It has also attracted national attention to the fight in Mandi, one of four Lok Sabha constituencies in the hill state. The Congress, which rules the state, is yet to name its candidate for the seat.

By fielding Kangana, the BJP finds itself embroiled in controversies, especially since the popular actor has as many critics as well-wishers. She is constantly trolled on social media. Of course, her social media guardians are also putting up a tough fight.

As and when the Congress announces its opponent to Kangana, the star attraction will take on a new form.

VIP constituency

Normally, those contesting from the Mandi seat have never been from an ordinary background.

Maheshwar Singh from the royal family and former Union Minister Pandit Sukh Ram won the seat three times each while Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh won the seat twice each.

Virbhadra Singh belonged to the Bushehar princely state, Maheshwar Singh to Kullu and Sukh Ram hailed from Mandi district.

At the same, the veteran Jairam Thakur was defeated from Mandi. But after becoming the chief minister, he gained such a strong foothold there that Ram Swaroop, associated with the RSS, won handsomely in 2019.

BJP’s trump card

Overall, the Mandi election takes on a new direction and dimension every time.

The BJP has placed its bet on celebrity Kangana. Before her candidature was announced, Pratibha Singh had declared she would not contest.

It was believed that Pratibha did not want to come forward due to what is believed to be a Narendra Modi wave. That's why she also talked about the neglect of workers in Mandi by her own government.

While BJP workers in Mandi were thrilled to see Kangana in person, the senior party leaders were overshadowed by her presence.

Although the outspoken Kangana has refuted the allegations against her in Mandeali, voters who speak Pangi, Lahul, Rampur, Chhatri, Saraj and Mandi dialects were perplexed by her mixed Bilaspuri and Sarkaghati dialect.

Kangana's next challenge would be to speak these local dialects as well.

Key challenges

The Mandi parliamentary constituency has 17 Assembly segments including four from Kullu district and one each from Chamba, Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Shimla districts. The parliamentary area covers six districts, and all six have different dialects.

In these 17 Assembly constituencies, there is a close contest between the BJP and Congress.

The BJP gets a substantial vote share from Jairam Thakur's seat in Saraj, Anil Sharma's seat in Mandi, Janak Raj's seat in Bharmour and Rakesh Jamwal's seat in Sundarnagar.

Both as a high-profile actor and an unabashed Modi fan, Kangana has her own political weight.

But the challenges are not few either. As the campaign picks up pace, the Congress will launch a full-fledged attack. Whether it's Kangana's pictures, her outspoken statements or issues related to her diet and lifestyle that go against the ideology of the Sangh and the party, they will create hurdles for her.

Possible hurdles

The influence and resentment of the large Dev community led by BJP's senior leader and former MP Maheshwar Singh from Kullu will not make Kangana's path as smooth as it could have been.

If the Virbhadra family jumps into the fray, then the unity of the royal family and the Devlu community will also show its impact in the region.

Due to Kangana's glamour, the importance of big leaders standing on the stage has diminished. This issue could impact the election.

Favourite actor

As a bold actor, Kangana is the favorite of the youth. From this perspective, even if she does not get the BJP workers' votes, the votes of her fans might be enough.

It is said the Congress is still gauging the mood. It will announce a candidate after a little delay. Stalwarts like the mother Pratibha Singh or the son Vikramaditya Singh will be the Congress weapons.

If Vikramaditya Singh takes over his father's mantle, then Kangana's difficulties could increase. Like his father, Vikramatidya Singh too is quite popular among the young.

Kangana or Modi wave?

In the 2021 Lok Sabha by-election, Congress candidate Pratibha Singh got 365,650 votes and BJP's Khushal Singh 356,664 votes. In 2019, BJP's Ram Swaroop Sharma received 647,189 votes and Congress' Aashray Sharma 241,730 votes. In 2014, BJP's Ram Swaroop got 362,824 votes while Congress' Pratibha Singh netted 322,968 votes.

Will Kangana’s Bollywood image and her social media management overshadow the Modi’s wave in the constituency? Will she make it on her own into politics, keeping aside the controversies as an actress?

We will know more on June 4, as Kangana makes some of her trademark sharp comments on social media.