LS polls in HP: Modi arriving for Mandi and Nahan to boost BJP’s campaign
Shimla: Barely 11 days left for Himachal Pradesh to go to polling for four Parliamentary seats, and six Assembly bypolls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be arriving at the scene to address two poll rallies on May 24.
As the heat of the plains has also started affecting the hills, the campaign is also expected to gain momentum once the Prime Minister reaches the state and triggers some debates on national issues to hit the Congress and INDIA Bloc.
The state government’s 15-month rule is also expected to get Modi’s scathing attack, especially the political crisis the Congress is facing.
Quite on the expected lines, Modi will address the party’s rally at Mandi—a parliamentary constituency witnessing a heightened electoral contest between film star Kangana Ranaut and high-profile Congress minister Vikramaditya Singh.
While Kangana had started her campaign much early, after her name was declared by the party for the prestigious seat, Vikramaditya Singh made—up her mind to join the electoral fray after his mother and sitting MP Pratibha Singh showed reluctance.
Both are new faces contesting the state’s parliamentary poll that has returned as a decisive battle of nerves and point of prestige for the BJP and also ‘Holly-Lodge’—a strong political legacy of Congress stalwart Virbhadra Singh.
The Prime Minister had always felt at home to address his rallies and events at Mandi—a town known as “choti Kashi” and had addressed most of his election rallies during 2014 and later in the 2019 poll beside state Assembly elections.
BJP’s media in-charge Karan Nanda said, “Modi ji will have two massive rallies in Himachal Pradesh---one at Nahan in Shimla Parliamentary constituency and second in Mandi for parliamentary constituencies of Mandi and Hamirpur.
Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur contesting his fifth election from Hamirpur will also be attending the Mandi rally while Kangana Ranaut will be there.”
Kangana who had been making Vikramaditya Singh, his mother Pratibha Singh, and also late Virbhadra Singh a target of her attacks in the poll rallies, has been invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
As per Karan Nanda, the Prime Minister will also be followed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in the campaign for the party.
BJP national President J P Nadda has just finished his two-day tour and addressed three rallies including one at Chamba.
“ He will be arriving again in the second round,” said Nanda.
On the Congress side, right now it’s Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu leading the show while its star campaigners are yet to arrive. The party has not yet finalised the programmes of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other leaders including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
As the state is also going to the poll along with Punjab’s neighbouring state on June 1, the party is hoping to bring in star campaigners towards last week to counter the BJP.
The state is witnessing a direct fight between the BJP and the ruling Congress with no scope for the INDIA bloc to contest in the state.
