Shah names Dhumal as CM face at Sirmaur rally
SHIMLA/NEW DELHI: Veteran BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal was on Tuesday named the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls to be held on November 9.
The decision to name the 73-year-old Dhumal, a two-time chief minister and an influential Thakur leader who commands the support of many legislators, was announced by BJP chief Amit Shah at a rally in Sirmaur.
Thakurs constitute over 28% of the state’s population.
Though the BJP had earlier planned not to project a CM face, growing confusion among the cadre and frequent prodding by chief minister Virbhadra Singh of the Congress forced a rethink.
“Virbhadra Singh keeps questioning the BJP about its chief ministerial face. I want to tell him that while the party is contesting across India in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we will contest the 2017 election in Himachal Pradesh under the experienced leadership of Prem Kumar Dhumal,” Shah said.
Modi also endorsed Dhumal’s candidature on Twitter soon after the announcement. “Dhumal
Ji is among our senior most leaders with rich administrative experience in Himachal. He will once again make a wonderful CM,” he tweeted.
There had been some indication within party circles that Dhumal may be the BJP’s choice because several leaders close to him had been given tickets for the polls.
Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Naresh Chauhan criticised the BJP for delaying the announcement of its chief ministerial face. “Declaring the name of the chief ministerial candidate is an integral part of poll campaigning. The BJP’s strategy was only hurting the confidence of its election managers,” he said.
Shah’s announcement is being seen by insiders as a setback to Union health minister JP Nadda, a 56-year-old Brahmin leader from Shimla. He was reportedly turned down for not having a substantial voter base.
The BJP, as part of its poll strategy, had not named its chief ministerial choices in the Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh elections.