Now, the big question: What next for Dhumal?

SHIMLA: After his unexpected defeat forced him out of the race for the Himachal Pradesh chief minister’s post, BJP’s vanguard leader Prem Kumar now has a tough job in hand.

Had Union health minister JP Nadda been party’s choice for the CM’s post, there was a possibility of his MP son Anurag Thakur being inducted in the Narendra Modi cabinet at the Centre, it is learnt.

A generational shift in party leadership in the state has forced Dhumal to the margin. Most of his lieutenants, including former ministers Gulab Singh Thakur and Ravinder Singh Ravi lost elections besides Randhir Sharma lost the assembly election, rendering the former CM even weaker, politically. Now, Dhumal will vie for cabinet berths for his loyalists in Jai Ram Thakur’s cabinet.

Also, Anurag will have to struggle to maintain his clout, particularly in the upper-caste dominant politics, as Jai Ram’s elevation would change political dynamics in Himachal.

Since Jai Ram Thakur is only 52-year-old, he will be able to lead the party in the state for long.

ACID TEST FOR ANURAG

It will be an acid test for Anurag to progress in the state politics without his father’s patronage. It is clear that Dhumal will not be that strong in the organisation as he used to be.

Speculations are rife that Dhumal may be offered governor’s post or his son may get a cabinet or minister of state (MoS) berth at the Centre.

After the rise of another Rajput leader Jai Ram Thakur, Dhumal has a tough task at hand to maintain his relevance.

The two-time CM lost the assembly election from the Sujanpur segment to his onetime protege and Congress candidate Rajinder Rana by 1,919 votes. Dhumal said he and other party leaders will support the new CM.

“I followed every direction of the party. I have contested Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha elections and then formed government in 1998 and 2007,” he said.

“I neither demanded nor expected anything from the party but worked as a worker. I never questioned the party’s decision. In future also, I will follow what the party says.”

Whether changing his seat was a political blunder by the party, Dhumal said, “I am trying to forget what happened and am thinking of future.”

A GENERATIONAL SHIFT IN PARTY LEADERSHIP IN THE STATE HAS FORCED DHUMAL TO THE MARGIN