Congress leaders failed to garner votes for Vikramaditya Singh in their segments

Dipender Manta

Mandi, June 5

In a setback to the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections, its key leaders could not muster support and votes for party candidate Vikramaditya Singh in their Assembly segments that are part of the Mandi parliamentary constituency. This has raised questions on coordination among party leaders and workers. In the Drang Assembly segment, the home turf of senior Congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur, BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut got a lead of 7,699 votes, while in Balh, the home turf of former minister Prakash Chaudhary, she got a lead of 9,742 votes. Similarly, in the Sundernagar Assembly segment, the home turf of former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sohan Lal Thakur, Kangana got a lead of 8,994 votes, while in the Kullu Sadar constituency, the home turf of sitting Congress MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sunder Singh Thakur, she got a lead of 6,872 votes. In the Manali Assembly segment represented by Congress MLA Bhuvneshwar Gaur, Kangana got a lead of 1,953 votes while the Bharmour Assembly segment, the home turf of senior Congress leader Thakur Singh Bharmouri, she got a lead of 5,533 votes. Vikramaditya had campaigned fervently but the lack of endorsement and active participation of influential local leaders in their own constituencies proved to be detrimental to his winning prospects. The Mandi parliamentary constituency, known for its political significance in Himachal Pradesh, witnessed a keen contest and the cohesive support of the party leaders and workers proved to be one of the decisive factors.

Kangana got lead in drang, balh, manali

• In the Drang Assembly segment, the home turf of senior Congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur, Kangana Ranaut got a lead of 7,699 votes
• In Balh, the home turf of former minister Prakash Chaudhary, she got a lead of 9,742 votes
• Similarly, Kangana bagged the lead in the Sundernagar and Manali Assembly segments and the Kullu Sadar constituency, home turfs to several senior Congress leaders

The key leaders, whose active support could have boosted Vikramaditya’s victory prospects, were conspicuous by their lack of concerted efforts. Their failure to mobilise votes for Vikramaditya underscores the challenge the party is facing in maintaining unity at the grass-roots level.

The fallout of the electoral setback is likely to reverberate within the Congress, prompting introspection. Questions regarding the party’s strategy, coordination and ability to harness the collective strength of its leaders and workers are bound to dominate post-election discussions. In the aftermath of the defeat, it remains to be seen how the party addresses dissent and reinvigorates its organisational structure to mount a stronger challenge in future elections. In the 2022 Assembly elections, the BJP had won 12 of the 17 seats falling in the Mandi parliamentary constituency. In Mandi district, the BJP had won nine of the 10 seats, which are part of the Lok Sabha constituency.