Vikramaditya Singh: ‘How much time she (Kangana) gives Mandi will be important … Time will tell as she has many commitments’

Himachal Congress leader and state minister Vikramaditya Singh lost the high-profile Mandi Lok Sabha battle to actor Kangana Ranaut by 74,755 votes. In an interview with The Indian Express, Singh talks about his loss from Mandi — a seat that his parents, the late former CM Virbhadra Singh, and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh have represented before — why he thinks it will stand him in good stead, Kangana Ranaut, and why he contested despite reluctance.

Excerpts:

Q) How big a setback is your loss in Mandi?

It is a humbling experience that will help me in the long term. I am a fighter who does not run away from the battlefield. Winning and losing is part of the game and I lost even though our vote share increased manifold. In 2019, when the turnout was 73.6%, the Congress candidate lost by 4.05 lakh votes. Even my mother Pratibha Singh won the 2021 by-election, when the voter turnout was 57.98%, by 8,766 votes. This time, I got 47.12% of the votes (margin was 74,755 votes). This defeat is not a setback. I am only 34 years old and have to go a long way. Even my parents, the respected Virbhadra Singh and Pratibha Singh, also faced defeats from this seat but they also won three times each. Also, I will fulfil all my commitments made to the people of Mandi during my campaign in my capacity as the state PWD and Urban Development Minister.

Q) Do you have a message for Kangana Ranaut?

Winning the election is one thing but being there 24×7 is another. Now that she is elected, she has to give time there. How much time she dedicates to Mandi will be important. But time will tell because she has many commitments as an actress and celebrity. I congratulated her through the media. I am yet to wish her personally.

Q) How was your