‘I never said I will not contest… Currently, there is no resentment within the party’: Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh

 *The BJP has announced its candidates for all the four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal, as well as fielded Congress rebels from the six Assembly seats vacant after their disqualification. Why has the Congress not come out with names?

Both the Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly bypolls are due in the last phase, on June 1. There is still time. A meeting is scheduled to be held in Delhi this week, and the high command will announce the candidates… We will find eligible, competent names against the Congress rebels fielded by the BJP.

*You had declined to contest the parliamentary elections from Mandi, but recently you said you will go as per the decision of the high command. Have you changed your mind?

First of all, I would like to clarify that I never said I would not contest the elections. I had conveyed my wish to the high command that since the Congress also has to face bypolls in six Assembly seats, they should excuse me from contesting and allow me to focus on strengthening the party. Whatever the high command decides, I will follow.

Earlier too, I have always followed the high command. Barely two months after the death of my husband Virbhadra Singh in 2021, the high command told me to contest the bypoll from Mandi. I didn’t want to contest, but I went by the decision of the high command. At that time, there was a BJP government in the state as well as at the Centre. This time also, whatever the high command says, I will go by that.

* The BJP has fielded Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut from Mandi. What would you call her strengths and weaknesses?

Plus ye hai ki chalo voh ek film star hai, log unko dekhna chahte hain, log unko milna chahte hain, baat karna chahte hain (Well, the plus points are that she is a film star, people want to see her, meet her, want to talk with her). But I don’t think all those people can be converted into voters. Everybody is wondering if she will stay in Mumbai in case she wins, and they would have to go to Mumbai to meet her. Ye bhi ek point hai (That is also a point).

People are also asking that, last year, when such a big disaster (flash floods) struck Mandi, the entire state, you who call yourself the daughter of Mandi, why didn’t you visit us? Why didn’t you come to share our sorrows? These are some of the questions being asked by the people.

* Do you agree that you won the 2021 Mandi bypoll due to a sympathy wave after the death of your husband? With that no longer a factor, can you win the seat again?

I don’t deny that narrative, but there are other factors favouring the Congress. Our government has left no stone unturned to recover from last year’s natural disaster. When the Central government declined grants, our CM generated own funds for disaster management. Additionally, people want me to contest because they know my family has done a lot for them. During my term, I distributed all the funds received under MPLADS.

* You previously talked about resentment among Congress workers as they had been sidelined by the Sukhu government. Do you think things have improved, or will it impact the party’s campaign?

I relayed the feedback I had received from the ground. Now it’s up to the CM to address if the resentment has been resolved. But currently, there is no resentment within the party. We are united and ready to challenge the BJP, aiming to win all the coming elections.

* Vikramaditya Singh, who is the PWD Minister, is also in-charge of the Mandi seat for the party. What advice have you given him for grassroots work?

I don’t interfere in his affairs. He is mature enough to make decisions on his own.