Vikramaditya will contest from Shimla Rural, a seat his 83-year-old father has vacated
Shimla:
For six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, tomorrow's election in Himachal Pradesh will be the last that he will contest. But what makes it special for him is his 25-year-old son making debut in electoral politics. Vikramaditya Singh, fondly called Tikka ji - meaning the royal heir or inheritor - has been a Youth Congress president of Himachal Pradesh for five years and has been waiting to turn 25 to jump into the electoral bandwagon.
"My father was a reluctant politician, he had to be coaxed by Pandit Nehru but I was always keen, this is all I saw growing up," he tells NDTV.
As Vikramaditya heads out to campaign, he dresses up in the local attire of Nehru jacket and the Himachal cap like his father, bends down to touch the feet of all the elders on the road and with folded hands, asks them to show trust in him.
"I grew a moustache because people now need to see I am a grown man, I mean business, plus a Rajput without a mooch is no good," he says.
While Vikramaditya is harping a great deal on his father's image to get votes, he also has some bad publicity to tackle. A couple of months ago, the regional press was abuzz with drugs being allegedly found in his car and the opposition ran a campaign on his alleged drinking habits, calling him a rich spoilt brat. He is today also the richest candidate in Himachal Pradesh with assets totaling 84 crores.
"The opposition ran a systematic campaign to ruin my image. There were no drugs and I have never touched a drop of alcohol in my life. And yes I am the richest, but none of it is liquid money, we hardly have any, all are fixed assets that I have inherited from my family the erstwhile rulers of HP," he refuted the opposition's charges.
Vikramaditya will contest from Shimla Rural, a seat his 83-year-old father has vacated to ensure a safe constituency for the debutant.
Himachal Pradesh will vote tomorrow; votes will be counted along with Gujarat on December 18.
"My father was a reluctant politician, he had to be coaxed by Pandit Nehru but I was always keen, this is all I saw growing up," he tells NDTV.
As Vikramaditya heads out to campaign, he dresses up in the local attire of Nehru jacket and the Himachal cap like his father, bends down to touch the feet of all the elders on the road and with folded hands, asks them to show trust in him.
"I grew a moustache because people now need to see I am a grown man, I mean business, plus a Rajput without a mooch is no good," he says.
While Vikramaditya is harping a great deal on his father's image to get votes, he also has some bad publicity to tackle. A couple of months ago, the regional press was abuzz with drugs being allegedly found in his car and the opposition ran a campaign on his alleged drinking habits, calling him a rich spoilt brat. He is today also the richest candidate in Himachal Pradesh with assets totaling 84 crores.
"The opposition ran a systematic campaign to ruin my image. There were no drugs and I have never touched a drop of alcohol in my life. And yes I am the richest, but none of it is liquid money, we hardly have any, all are fixed assets that I have inherited from my family the erstwhile rulers of HP," he refuted the opposition's charges.
Vikramaditya will contest from Shimla Rural, a seat his 83-year-old father has vacated to ensure a safe constituency for the debutant.
Himachal Pradesh will vote tomorrow; votes will be counted along with Gujarat on December 18.
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