Kullu6 minutes ago
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Congress has won Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh. Here party candidate and former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh defeated BJP candidate and Kargil war hero retired Brigadier Khushal Singh by 8766 votes. Pratibha Singh got total 365650 votes and Brigadier Khushal Singh got 356884 votes.
Pratibha Singh was leading since morning in the counting of votes of Mandi parliamentary seat and by 9 o’clock she had made a lead of 3 thousand votes over BJP candidate, but at 9.30, BJP candidate Brigadier Khushal Singh was ahead by 4099 votes. Although he could not maintain his lead, after half an hour he again reached the second number. After that Pratibha Singh continued to be ahead. Although his lead never reached the figure of 10 thousand. Till 1.26 PM Pratibha Singh was leading over BJP candidate in Mandi parliamentary seat by 8672 votes and after that she was declared victorious by 8766 votes.
Congress supporters gathered outside the polling station.
Congress candidate Pratibha Singh got total 365650 votes in the by-election which is 49.23% of the total voting. BJP Candidate Khushal Singh got 356884 votes which is 48.05% of the total voter turnout. Here the Congress won by taking 1.18% more votes than the BJP. NOTA got 12626 votes in this by-election held on Mandi parliamentary seat. Other candidates got 7611 votes here.
Congress gets sympathy votes
This is the first by-election in Himachal Pradesh after the death of veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on 8 July 2021. The Congress party this time fielded Virbhadra Singh’s wife and former MP Pratibha Singh from Mandi parliamentary seat so that she could get the benefit of sympathy votes. Pratibha Singh redeemed it in the election campaign and this strategy of Congress was successful too.
BJP Sainik Card Failed
To thwart the Congress strategy, the BJP played the soldier card here and fielded Brigadier Khushal Singh, the hero of the Kargil war. Brigadier Khushal Singh’s Unit 18 Grenadier hoisted the Indian flag on the most difficult peaks of Tololing and Tiger Hill during the Kargil War. The ex-servicemen have a significant vote share in the Mandi parliamentary constituency and the BJP had fielded Brigadier Khushal Singh to win these votes in its favour. The party’s strategy was successful to some extent but it could not get victory.
Congress supporters gathered outside the polling station.
Counting of votes took place at 10 centers
Mandi parliamentary seat comprises 17 assembly constituencies and their votes were counted at 10 centres. The votes of Balh were counted in the Government ITI of Mandi and the votes of Manali, Kullu, Aani and Banjar in the GDC of Kullu. The counting of votes for Karsog, Sundernagar, Nachan and Sarkaghat took place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College in Sundernagar. Votes for Drang and Jogindernagar were counted at Rajiv Gandhi Government Degree College, Jogindernagar and Siraj and Mandi at Government PG College Mandi in Mandi. Votes were also counted at Government Girls ITI in Mandi, Government Millennium Polytechnic in Sarol, Government Senior Secondary School in Keylong, Bachat Bhawan in Reckong Peo and PGSSS in Rampur.
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