Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut is facing royal scion and Congress minister Vikramaditya Singh in a heated contest for the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency in Himachal Pradesh, which is going to polls on 1 June. This is being dubbed as the fight between the ‘queen’ and the ‘king’-- a hat tip to Ranaut’s popular movie ‘Queen’ and to Singh’s royal lineage.
“Vikramaditya Singh is good, really good. He is from a family of kings and monarchs,” said GS Rawat, who runs a shop of temple-goods next to the Bhoothnath temple in Mandi city. However, he quickly adds, “But everyone will vote for Kangana. It’s because of the Modi wave. We want Modi. It’s because of Modi that we will all vote for Kangana,” Rawat added.
This seems to be the common sentiment among most Kangana-supporters across Mandi. Scratch the surface and they aren’t Kangana supporters at all, but Modi supporters instead. The actor’s Bollywood persona may have made her a household name, but what is working against her in most places in the Mandi districted visited by The Quint, are primarily her own speeches.
'Kangana Our Daughter...But Wouldn't Have Voted Her If Not For BJP'
In Ranaut’s village, Bhambla, where she was born and brought up before she became the Bollywood celebrity she is today, most residents see her as their own “daughter.”
For instance, Bhambri Devi, said she has seen Kangana grow up in front of her own eyes. “She used to be so little...she attended the school nearby. I have seen her throughout her childhood. She is our daughter. Himachal’s daughter. Our pride,” she said.
Asked if she would vote for Kangana had she been contesting from a Congress ticket, Devi, without hesitation, replied in the negative. “No never. I would not have voted for her if she was in Congress. I only care about Modi. I want Modi. It’s a Modi wave,” Devi said.
Similar is the sentiment resonated by Chunni Lal, a vegetable vendor close to Ranaut’s home in Bhambla, Mandi. “We are connected to the party. It’s the party we care about,” he said.
Another resident asserted that while Kangana's popularity does come handy, it doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of things. “Even if BJP fielded an illiterate person from here, that candidate would have won. Kangana is still educated,” the resident said.
Kangana's Speeches Receive Criticism
Similar is the sentiment resonated by Chunni Lal, a vegetable vendor close to Ranaut’s home in Bhambla, Mandi. “We are connected to the party. It’s the party we care about,” he said.
Another resident asserted that while Kangana's popularity does come handy, it doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of things. “Even if BJP fielded an illiterate person from here, that candidate would have won. Kangana is still educated,” the resident said.
“One day she says we got freedom in 2014. Another day she says Subhash Chandra Bose was India’s first PM. Mandi’s people are not uneducated to fall for things like these,” Vaidya said.
In another speech, Kangana brought up the Russia-Ukraine war. “From Putin (Russia) to Ukraine, everyone turns towards PM Modi for guidance. And he does guide them. This is maybe why there isn’t a World War 3 happening today,” she said, at an election rally a few weeks ago.
Ankush Rawat, a 24-year-old Masters’ student said that he is supporting Kangana in the elections but doesn’t want to defend her speeches. “I saw her speeches. She is faltering a little, isn’t she. But that’s okay, this much is allowed...Actually no, not really,” he said, correcting himself.
Devi and her husband Pratap Singh, both are ardent BJP supporters, but get embarrassed when asked if they agree with Kangana’s speech where she said that “after Amitabh Bachchan if there is someone who gets this much love and respect, it’s me.”
“She is a child, mistakes happen. She made a mistake, nevermind,” Devi said Singh said.
Vikramaditya Singh's Family Legacy
34-year-old Vikramaditya Singh is the son of 6-time Himachal Pradesh CM late Virbhadra Singh. “Virbhadra Singh ji worked so much for Himachal Pradesh. I consider him a true king, from the heart. If he was around, we wouldn’t see which party is in the center. We would vote for him,” said Rashmi Thakur, 22, who knew it is the late CM’s son who is contesting this time, but struggled to remember his name.
25-year-old Sanidhya Pathak, said that it is “only Vikramaditya Singh who understand the youth of Himachal Pradesh and their woes.”
“We consider Kangana Ranaut a good heroine. A good Bollywood actress. But she is not emerging as a good politician. She is indulging in personal attacks against Vikramaditya Singh. She isn’t talking about issues that matter. She is going after his family, whose son he is. But we can’t choose which family we are born into. It is our deeds that make our identity. And Vikramaditya Singh’s deeds have proven he is a true Himachal leader,” Pathak said.
Hindutva Vs Himachaliyat
In 2022, Congress’ state election winning campaign was centred around emphasising the difference between Hindutva and Himachal Pradesh’s unique ‘Himachaliyat’. While Himachal Pradesh is a highly religious state, with Mandi referred to as ‘Choti Kashi’, most Gods that people here worship are the local Gods of the region.
“We have a saying here that ‘kings and Gods work as per the people’s wishes’. So if the people wish for something, then the Gods have to listen. Here there isn’t a single village where there isn’t a local God present. Every area has their own God. So people don’t care much about Ram temple here. People here only care about the local Gods and their rituals,” said Hardev Thakur, a 68-year-old man and former pradhan of a village.
Others too agreed that there wasn't much hysteria or hype in Himachal Pradesh during the consecration of the Ram Temple ceremony.
“Here only 1-2 per cent people went to Ram Temple. No one went especially. The only one who went especially was Vikramaditya Singh. No one else. We worship our kul devtas. We believe only in them and so we build their temples only,” a resident said.
Heightened Polarisation In Mandi
Despite the fact that BJP’s pet issues like Ram Mandir haven’t gotten much traction in Himachal Pradesh, most voters we spoke to here do not see this as a contest between Vikramaditya Singh and Kangana Ranaut, where the former might have had an edge, but as a contest between Congress and Modi. This is leading to conversations being less about the local candidates—and is in fact causing some serious heated discussions on national issues.
“PM Modi in his speech made certain claims about Congress’ manifesto promises. As far as I have read, the manifesto doesn’t speak of mangalsutra or Muslims,” said Rakesh Walia, a resident. However, seated in front of him, another resident called Gagan Kashyap, said “no one reads manifestos anymore.”
“He is saying we shouldn’t do ‘Hindu-Muslim’ politics. What was the 1947 partition about then? When the country’s foundation is Hindu-Muslim divide, what you call new India, has Hindu-Muslim politics ever ended here? What is Muslim personal law? What is the Waqf property Act? What is Shariat law.. Now you listen carefully. He is insulting Veer Savarkar. How is Jinnah related to him? He isn’t saying a single word against Jinnah. If he has so much hatred for Veer Savarkar, he should dare and say such things in Maharashtra. Is Jinnah his predecessor or guardian?,” said an angry Kashyap.
“They divide the country on the basis of religion. And then keep people of that religion here? That has led to the creation of a mini-Pakistan in this country,” he added.
Despite the heightened polarisation, especially on national issues, most people across the spectrum agree that it is two pronged fight-- not necessarily between Vikramaditya Singh and Kangana Ranaut, but between PM Modi and the legacy left behind by Virbhadra Singh.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)