'Will Prioritise Films': Himachal Minister Vikramaditya Singh On BJP Fielding Kangana Ranaut For LS Polls

Kangana Ranaut Fielded By BJP: Himachal Pradesh minister and Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh on Monday asserted that the BJP's move to field Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut from Mandi in the upcoming Lok Sabha election won't bode well for the constituency if she manages victory in the polls as she will devote the majority of her time to her film career.

He said, "As far as Kangana Ranaut is concerned, we respect her. She is a very popular actress who has brought laurels to Himachal Pradesh on the silver screen...But this is a political arena...The biggest question is - fielding an actor like this whose priority has been to make films, will she be able to give enough time to 1/3rd of the area of Himachal Pradesh?"

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Vikramaditya also said that the electorate of Mandi will be faced with a choice between stardom and "whole-timer politician" this time. "Relying only on stardom, she has been made the candidate... Her priority will always be Bollywood. Despite losing or winning the election, that is going to be her priority. People of Mandi constituency have to decide whether they want a whole-timer politician or they want to vote for stardom."

#WATCH | On BJP fielding Kangana Ranaut from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh says, "As far as BJP candidates are concerned, it is their party's internal matter. I would not like to make a comment on it. It is their prerogative. We will go to the elections with… pic.twitter.com/6yRAWEVubo

— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2024

Notably, Vikramaditya's mother and Congress's Himachal Pradesh unit president Pratibha Singh is the incumbent Lok Sabha MP from Mandi. The seat is considered a stronghold of the Singh family as Vikramaditya's father, late Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, served several terms as the constituency's representative in Lok Sabha.

Vikramaditya emerged as a disgruntled figure in the political landscape of Himachal Pradesh recently when the state's Congress faced a potential collapse in the aftermath of cross-voting by six of its MLAs in the Rajya Sabha polls held last month.

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Following the declaration of result, Vikramaditya tendered his resignation to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, however it wasn't accepted by the latter. Vikramaditya also purportedly changed his Facebook profile to read "Himachal ka sevak (Worker of Himachal)" from "Himachal Pradesh minister" during the political hubbub.

(With inputs from ANI)