Right-wing Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut wins debut local election

Actor defeated Congress heavyweight after a successful campaign

Bollywood actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut has achieved her electoral ambitions after winning by over 74,000 votes in the Himachal Pradesh Mandi in her high-profile debut election, reported Indian media. According to the Indian Express, Ranaut defeated veteran Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh.

Ranaut received 537,022 votes in the Lok Sabha polls, overtaking her opponent Singh, who got 462,267. “I am emotional at the moment,” Ranaut was quoted to have said by news agency ANI. “I am grateful that the people of Mandi elected the BJP.” 

The publication reported that upon being declared the winner, Ranaut, 37, shared a video on X where she can be seen signing official documents. “Mandi ki sansad,” Ranaut captioned her post. An active force on social media to boost her reach, Ranaut had earlier taken to Instagram to thank people from her constituency. Penning a note of appreciation, Ranaut captioned, “Heartfelt gratitude to all the people of Mandi for this love and trust… This victory belongs to all of you, this is the victory of your trust in Prime Minister Modi and BJP, this is the victory of Sanatan and in the honour of Mandi.”

Ranaut represents the BJP party, although the opposing Congress party has traditionally had a stronghold in the Mandi constituency. Her Congress opponent Singh congratulated Ranaut, and noted that he remained fully dedicated to his vision of the development of the Mandi constituency, as per media reports. 

The constituency went to the polls in the seventh and final phase of the elections on June 1. As the seventh phase of polling concluded, the voter turnout in Mandi was recorded at 62%, slightly lower than the 2019 figure of 73.6%. Exit polls had already predicted a victory for Ranaut based on her star power and the might of the BJP. By contrast, Ranaut’s running opponent Singh, son of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, relied on the strength of the family legacy. This election season, star power outweighed family connections. 

Ranaut’s Mandi constituency comprises 17 assembly segments and lost its Congress stronghold in the past two elections. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP's Ram Swaroop Sharma defeated Congress's Pratibha Singh, a former two-time MP, by a margin of 39,000 votes. In the 2019 elections, Ram Swaroop Sharma retained the seat with a significant margin of over 43%, receiving 647,189 votes, translating to nearly 69% of the votes. 

This year in the 2024 Mandi Lok Sabha elections, Ranaut’s foray into politics added fresh publicity with her fierce campaign and controversial views. Ranaut drew in large crowds during her campaign, receiving the backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders. 

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