'I have been successful in Bollywood and I hope that I will get success in politics as well.'
Kangana Ranaut credits the people of Mandi for her electoral debut as she filed her nomination for the Lok Sabha seat.
She was accompanied by her mother Asha and sister Rangoli and Jai Ram Thakur, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader in Himachal Pradesh.
"The people of Mandi and their love for me have brought me here," the actress said.
"Women in our country are making a mark in every field, but incidents of feticide in Mandi were high a few years ago. Today, the women from Mandi are in the army, education and politics."
When asked about the Congress, she said, "The anti-national mentality of the Congress is a matter of concern for the country..."
"The public has come here to support Kangana. We will definitely win," her mother Asha Ranaut added.
"You can see how the people support her," sister Rangoli added.
After filing her nomination, Kangana said, "Today I have filed the nomination from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. It is a matter of pride for me to have the opportunity to contest from Mandi. I have been successful in Bollywood and I hope that I will get success in politics as well."
The decision to field Kangana from Mandi, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the ruling Congress in the state, adds a layer of intrigue to the Lok Sabha elections.
In her maiden bid for membership of the Lower House, Kangana faces a formidable challenge in the form of Congress heavyweight Vikramaditya Singh, the son of the late former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh.
Polling in Himachal Pradesh, which is scheduled for June 1, will not only pit candidates vying for Lok Sabha membership from four seats, but also elect members for six assembly seats that fell vacant following the resignation and switchover of dissident Congress MLAs.
The BJP, which won all four Lok Sabha constituencies in the state in the 2019 elections, is eyeing an encore this time.
The Mandi constituency holds symbolic significance for the Congress as it is considered a bastion of the Virbhadra family.
The seat is currently held by Pratibha Devi Singh, the late leader's widow and Vikramaditya Singh's mother. She wrested the seat for the Congress in the bye-election that was held following the demise of then BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
