Congress candidate from the Mandi parliamentary constituency and Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh accused BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut of spreading regionalism.

While addressing election meetings in Baldwara, Sarkaghat Gonta, and Dhalwan of Sarkaghat assembly on Sunday, Singh criticised his opponent for spreading regionalism in her campaigns. Accusing her of seeking votes in the name of regionalism fearing defeat, Singh said she now calls herself the daughter of Mandi while earlier she did not even identify herself with the place.

He said he has never emphasised on regionalism and called himself the son of Rampur or Shimla, his hometown, instead the entire state was his home. “At the time of the disaster, this daughter neither remembered the state nor Mandi. To counter her absence from the scene she says that she was busy with the production of her films,” Singh said taking a jibe at Kangna.

“Politics is neither a part-time job nor a profession. It is a service to the people and for this one has to live among the people,” he added.

Singh highlighted his commitment to addressing real issues, contrasting this with what he described as the BJP’s avoidance of them.

He assured the people of the constituency that the India Alliance would replace Agniveer recruitment in the Army with permanent recruitment and address One Rank One Pension (OROP) anomalies to ensure full benefits for army personnel.

He also committed himself to forming a Himachal Regiment in the Army.

Singh pointed out that the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh has implemented the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for employees and a Rs 1500 monthly pension for women, labeling the BJP as anti-employee and anti-women. He emphasised his goal to improve his parliamentary constituency and promised substantial development contributions if elected.

Former minister and senior Congress leader Rangeela Ram Rao and CPM leader and former Deputy Mayor Shimla Tikendra Panwar supported Singh, praising his potential and criticizing the BJP candidate’s lack of political understanding. They urged voters to elect Singh, portraying him as a strong future leader for the state. “The INDIA bloc government will be formed in the country and Vikramaditya Singh will become a strong voice of Himachal Pradesh,” Panwar asserted.