Royals dominate poll politics in Mandi

Democracy may have taken deep-roots in the country, but erstwhile royals still continue to hold sway in Mandi Lok Sabha constituency.      

Of the 14 elections held to the lower house of Parliament, 10 have been won by members of erstwhile royal families and this edition of polls will see two former royals crossing swords on May 13.      

The Congress has fielded former state chief minister Virbhadra Singh of the Rampur-Bushehar royal family to take on BJP's candidate Maheshwar Singh, a descendant of the Kullu royal dynasty.      

In independent India's first election in 1951-52, the seat was clinched by Rajkumari Amrit Kaur of the Kapurthala royal family.      

Spread over an area of 33,387 square km covering six districts, the constituency is among the largest in terms of land area after Barmer in Rajasthan.      

Singh (75) was first elected to Parliament in 1962 from Mahasu (erstwhile Parliamentary seat of Shimla) and twice later from Mandi seat. 

He was a minister at the Centre before becoming chief minister of the state in 1983. He lost once from Mandi in 1977 by a Janata Party candidate, who was also the first commoner to break the royals' hold on this seat. Initially reluctant to enter in the Lok Sabha fray, Singh, popularly called 'Raja Saheb' in Himachal politics, entered the fray after his wife Pratibha Singh opted out.      

BJP is relying on its old warhorse Maheshwar Singh, who represented the seat twice out of four outings, including the last one in 2004 when he lost to Pratibha Singh.      

Mandi seat comprises of 17 assembly constituencies in six districts of Shimla (Rampur sub-division), Mandi, Kullu, Lahual and Spiti, Kinnaur and parts of Chamba.     

A total of 11,01,391 voters, 3,42,968 men and 3,44,851 women, would exercise their franchise across 1,920 polling stations on May 13.      

Kibber polling station in Lahual valley at 15,000 feet is considered to be located at the highest point in the country.      

The sprawling Mandi Lok Sabha seat comprises of tribal and snow-bound areas of Lahual and Spiti also called 'cold desert' and Kinnaur.