Vikramaditya Singh, son of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, is the Congress candidate for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. His mother Pratibha Singh, the Congress state unit president, is the sitting MP from Mandi. Vikramaditya Singh will take on actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, the BJP candidate in Mandi.
Here are a few facts about Vikramaditya Singh:
1. Vikramaditya Singh was born on October 17, 1989, to Virbhadra Singh, the six-time Prime Minister of Himachal Pradesh, and Pratibha Singh, a three-time parliamentarian from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. Vikramaditya Singh completed his education from Bishop Cotton School in Shimla and moved to Delhi for his bachelor's degree from St Stephen's College. He has a master's degree in history.
2. In 2013, he was elected president of the Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress. He held the post from 2013 to 2017. Vikramaditya Singh's first foray into electoral politics came in 2017 when he was elected to the Assembly from Shimla Rural seat.
3. Mr Singh, the scion of the erstwhile Bhushar estate, was crowned titular king of the erstwhile princely state in 2021 after his father's death.
4. In 2022, Vikramaditya Singh was re-elected to the Assembly and became the PWD Minister of Himachal Pradesh. He was also given the Youth Care and Sports portfolios.
5. In March 2024, the 35-year-old led a rebellion against the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government in the state. Vikramaditya Singh resigned as minister and publicly accused Congress of disrespecting his father despite seeking votes in his name. Later, after a meeting with party observers Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Bhupesh Baghel and DK Shivakumar in Shimla, Mr Singh withdrew his resignation.