“Difficult for BJP to cross even 200 seats”; Congress chief Pratibha Singh

Kangana Ranaut at a Public meeting (Pic/X)

As the seventh and last phase of voting for 2024 Lok Sabha elections began on Saturday, June 1, Himachal Pradesh Congress President Pratibha Singh remarkably said, it is difficult for BJP to cross even 200 seats out of 543.

One (a party/alliance) has to get 272 minimum seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha to call it a majority.

"I am hopeful that people in large numbers are going to vote for the Congress party as they want change in the central government. It is difficult for them (BJP) to cross even 200 seats," Pratibha Singh told ANI.

Vikramaditya Singh, Pratibha Singh's son and the Congress candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat has been fielded against actor-politician Kangana Ranaut from BJP.

On the eve of India General Elections 2024 Phase 7, Pratibha Singh and her son Vikramaditya Singh, offered their prayers at Shani Mandir in Rampur before casting their votes.

Vikramaditya questions about Kangana Ranaut's absence amid the natural calamity that hit Mandi, in talks with ANI.

While talking to ANI Vikramaditya said, "I want to ask Kangana Ranaut that when Mandi was affected by a natural calamity and there was a loss of crores of rupees, it was Mandi MP Pratibha Singh who met the people there and carried out an inspection...Did Kangana Ranaut come to meet the people (in Mandi)?"

Meanwhile, Kangana Ranaut declared that there is a full "Modi wave" in Himachal Pradesh, expressing confidence in the BJP winning all four seats.

There will be a high-profile contest in the Mandi constituency as actor Kangana Ranaut, who is entering politics for the first time, hopes to unseat the Congress party.

"We are soldiers of PM Modi, and we will win all four seats in Himachal Pradesh," Kangana said, excuding confidence in the BJP's "400 paar" slogan for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Ranaut arrived Mandi polling booth on Saturday to cast her vote in the Lok Sabha elections' seventh round.

Kangana made an appeal to everyone to use their right to vote in this celebration of democracy, urging them to do so. "There has been so much bloodshed so that we can exercise this right," she said.

In a strong response to opposition criticizing PM Modi for performing meditation in Kanyakumari, Kangana said "Meditation is not new for the Prime Minister. Even when he was not a politician he used to meditate. Now these people have a problem with that too".

Since the Mandi constituency is seen as a stronghold of the Virbhadra family, it is symbolic for the Congress.

With two big names entering the race, for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Congress has announced Himachal Pradesh Minister and Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh as the party's candidate for the seat.

Pratibha Devi Singh, the late CM Virbhadra Singh's widow is currently holding the seat in Mandi constituency. She wrested for the Congress in the by-election held following the demise of then-BJP MP Swaroop Sharma.

In addition to polling in six assembly seats in the state, the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Himachal Pradesh - Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, and Shimla - are voting in the seventh and final phase of the elections today.

There are 904 candidates are competing in the last round of voting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Ravneet Singh Bittu, Nishikant Dubey, leaders of the Congress Charanjit Singh Channi, Manish Tewari, leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Misa Bharti, are among the prominent candidates in this last phase of the election.