After Dhumal’s loss, Nadda, Jai Ram in race for CM’s chair
Gujarat may have been the more keenly watched election for poll pundits, but the BJP scored a bigger victory in Himachal Pradesh. Yet, that’s where it faces its next big challenge too. Since its chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal lost, the party needs to find an alternative, or decide whether or not it should still give the two-time former CM the chair.
To attend MLAs’ meet for picking the respective CMs, the party deputed defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and minister of steel Narendra Singh Tomar for Himachal, and finance minister Arun Jaitley and party general secretary Saroj Pandey for Gujarat. They will give feedback to the central leadership now, as the BJP parliamentary board did not discuss names on Monday, it is learnt.
Sources in the party said Union health minister JP Nadda, who campaigned extensively in Himachal before Dhumal’s name was announced in November, is a frontrunner, if Dhumal is ruled out. But former state minister Jai Ram Thakur, who won from Seraj segment, is the dark horse. Thakur is learnt to have the backing of the RSS, too, as he was a Sangh paracharak for a long time; and he has even been summoned to Delhi for consultation.
In Gujarat, though, the party may continue with incumbent Vijay Rupani. “It is too early to rule Dhumal out,” a BJP leader said, requesting anonymity.
“Such a situation never arose before the party in the past.” If the BJP still decides in favour of Dhumal as CM, it will necessitate a bypoll. Similar is the case with Nadda, who is currently a Rajya Sabha member.
Dhumal lost from Sujanpur seat to his one-time protégé Rajinder Rana. His constituency was changed — reportedly against his wishes — at the last minute from his native place Hamirpur to Sujanpur.
As the decision came after nominations had started, Dhumal did not get enough time to prepare and the Congress fielded rebel BJP leader Rana, who had nurtured the constituency well.
In Gujarat, Rupani is likely to continue even though names of Union minister Parshottam Rupala and Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala were doing the rounds. Party chief Amit Shah told reporters at the BJP headquarters that the party had already declared (during campaign) Rupani (as the CM candidate), and a spokesperson shall make an announcement after the parliament board meeting.