Congress candidate from the Mandi parliamentary constituency Vikramaditya Singh expressed confidence that the Opposition INDIA bloc will form a government at the Centre.

During his election public relations campaign in Sai Galu, Majhwad, Suhada Mohalla, Purani Mandi, and Lower Khaliyar, Vikramaditya Singh appealed to the people to vote in favour of Congress in large numbers.

Earlier, he paid obeisance at the Namdhari Sikh Gurudwara under Mandi Sadar assembly constituency,

“Politics is not a profession, it is a public service in which one has to work day and night among the people to decipher their problems,” he contended, adding that during the disaster that struck the state last monsoons, he saw the pain of the affected people and helped resolve their problems with full promptness.

He said he is contesting the election with a vision in mind to make Mandi the best parliamentary constituency in the country and a smart city like Shimla.

He said his father, former six-time chief minister Late Virbhadra Singh gave Mandi the status of Central Zone and opened many government headquarters here. It was due to his untiring efforts that Mandi has got big institutions including IIT and Medical College, he added.

As an MP, his mother, Pratibha Singh, also gave impetus to the development work of this parliamentary constituency, he said, adding that now he is getting a chance to become an MP from here and if he becomes an MP, he will take on to fulfill all his responsibilities with honesty.

He said as the public works minister, he got Rs 3,560 crore sanctioned from the Center for the maintenance and construction of roads in the state. His priority is to strengthen the road network in this parliamentary constituency so that the tourists from India and abroad coming here do not face any problem.

The Congress leader said the tunnel construction would be done in Jalodi Jot and Bhugu Jot.

Remembering Virbhadra Singh and former Union Minister Pandit Sukhram’s contribution to the development of Mandi, he said the state can never forget these two leaders.

Criticising former CM Jai Ram Thakur, he said he did nothing for Mandi during his tenure. These days, he (Thakur) has become a scriptwriter in the film production of Kangna Ranaut, who is seeking votes in the name of Modi, said Singh taking a jibe at the former CM for the political maneuvers of the BJP candidate.

They neither have any development agenda nor any vision of their own, he added.

Paying homage to the former prime minister of the country, Bharat Ratna Late Rajiv Gandhi, on his death anniversary, Singh said, “Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life for the unity and integrity of the country. This country can never forget his sacrifice.”

With the blessings of the elders, he is determined to move forward with a new resolution, said Singh, appealing for public cooperation.