Lok Sabha candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, expressed her optimism about a complete sweep for the Bharatiya Janata Party in Himachal Pradesh. Exuding confidence in the party’s prospects, Kangana addressed the media after she cast her vote in the seventh and final phase of the general elections and declared that a “Modi wave” was sweeping across the state.
Arriving at a polling booth in Mandi, Ranaut urged citizens to participate in the democratic process. “I appeal to everyone to exercise their right to vote in this festival of democracy. There has been so much bloodshed so that we can exercise this right,” she emphasized.
Ranaut highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s extensive campaign efforts, noting, “There is a complete Modi wave in Himachal Pradesh. Our Prime Minister has conducted almost 200 rallies, gave atleast 80-90 interviews in just two months.”
Confident in the BJP’s “400 paar” slogan for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, she declared, “We are soldiers of PM Modi, and will win all four seats in Himachal Pradesh.”
Ranaut also defended Prime Minister Modi against opposition criticism over his meditation in Kanyakumari. “Meditation is not new for the Prime Minister. Even when he was not a politician, he used to meditate. Now these people have a problem with that too,” she retorted.
The Mandi constituency is set for a high-profile contest with Ranaut, a well-known actress, entering the political arena. The seat, historically significant for the Congress, is currently held by Pratibha Singh, the widow of the late Congress leader Virbhadra Singh. Singh won the seat in a by-election after the demise of then-BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.
For the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the Congress has fielded Vikramaditya Singh, Himachal Pradesh Minister and son of Virbhadra Singh, against Ranaut, making the battle one to watch closely.
Himachal Pradesh’s four Lok Sabha constituencies – Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, and Shimla – are all voting in this final phase. Additionally, by-polls are being held in six assembly seats in the state.
A total of 904 candidates are contesting in the final phase of polling. Prominent candidates include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nishikant Dubey, and Ravneet Singh Bittu, as well as Congress leaders Manish Tewari and Charanjit Singh Channi. Other notable contenders are Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Misa Bharti.
Polling for the earlier six phases of the Lok Sabha elections was conducted on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, and May 25. Assembly polls have also taken place in Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, while Odisha held simultaneous polls for both the Lok Sabha and its state assembly in the last four phases.
