"Will continue to work for development of constituency": Congress' Vikramaditya after losing Mandi seat to BJP's Kangana

Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 4 : Congress leader and candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, Vikramaditya Singh, congratulated actor and BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut for winning from Mandi constituency in the state on her electoral debut and stated that he stands by the people of the constituency and would continue to work for its development.
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, "I would like to thank the people of Mandi for giving a 45 per cent vote share to Congress. I congratulate BJP candidate Kangana Ranaut for winning the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and hope that the development works promised by them are completed. I stand with the people of Mandi. Like I said earlier, whether we win or lose, we stand by them and will work for the development of Mandi."
"Whether it is the smart city project or the tunnel infrastructure, we will work to take our development work forward. We will also analyse why we got left behind and work to perform better in the next elections," he said.
Adding further, the Congress leader said that the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yogi Adityanath, and Nitin Gadkari had an impact on polls.
"A clear-cut mandate (Congress winning 4 assembly by-poll seats) has been given by the people of Himachal Pradesh against attempts to disrupt the Congress government by BJP. The factor of PM Modi did not work in the nation. BJP is struggling to cross the mark of 250 Lok Sabha seats. INDI alliance has performed very well and could form the government by forging an alliance," added Singh.
Meanwhile, State Congress President Pratibha Singh also reacted to the same and said, "Our party workers worked on the ground in Mandi. They went door to door and worked day and night. We will have to go in-depth to analyse why we got left behind and work to perform better in the next elections."
Kangana Ranaut won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh by a margin of 74,755 votes, according to the Election Commission of India.
Ranaut, no stranger to controversy, was up against Congress' Vikramaditya Singh, the son of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
Thirty-four-year-old Singh has contested two assembly elections in the past, but this is his first bid for a parliamentary seat.
The Bharatiya Janata party is leading in all four seats in Himachal Pradesh, according to the latest trends by the Election Commission of India.
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. She wrested the seat for the Congress in the by-election that was held following the demise of then-BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.
Earlier in the day, Kangana said, "They (Congress) will have to suffer the consequences of talking so low about a woman. And that is becoming more clear today with the way we have taken the lead. Mandi has not taken kindly to the insults for daughters."
She further said, "As far as my departure to Mumbai is concerned, this (Himachal Pradesh) is my 'janmabhoomi' and I will continue to serve people here. I have always said that I will work as a soldier in PM Narendra Modi's goal of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas.'Perhaps someone else will have to pack their bags and leave. I am not going anywhere."
Around 642 million people voted in Lok Sabha elections held over seven phases in a mammoth six-week period. The counting of votes began starting with postal ballot papers amid tight security.
The counting for State Legislative Assemblies of 175 Assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and 147 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and results of by-polls in 25 Assembly constituencies also began.