Impasse over HP CM may get over as central observers meet MLAs today

:Five days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stormed into power in Himachal Pradesh, the party’s central observers on Sunday will go into a huddle with newly elected MLAs to draw consensus on who will be the next chief minister.

The two central observers — defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar — are scheduled to visit the state capital on Sunday along with party’s in-charge for Himachal affairs Mangal Pandey.

Sitharaman and Tomar had returned to Delhi on Friday after meeting senior party leaders and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionaries in Shimla. The two are learnt to have apprised BJP national president Amit Shah and other party functionaries in New Delhi of their feedback. “The central leaders will arrive in Shimla in a special plane tomorrow and will hold discussions with the BJP MLAs,” state party president Satpal Singh Satti said.

Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, who was conspicuous by his absence at the party’s core committee ’ meeting, is learnt to have met Tomar and Sitharaman in New Delhi. It is learnt that Union health minister Jagat Parkash Nadda, who emerged as the frontrunner for the CM’s post, also met the two leaders.

Nadda was seemingly the BJP high command’s favourite for the CM’s post in the run-up to the poll but the party projected Prem Kumar Dhumal as its chief ministerial face keeping local calculations in mind.

While five-time MLA Jai Ram Thakur (52) is also considered a frontrunner for the post, the name of Shimla legislator Suresh Bhardwaj is also doing the rounds. Satti on Saturday called on former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal at the latter’s Shimla residence, calling it a courtesy call.

A section of MLAs are backing Dhumal for the CM’s post, it is learnt. Though Dhumal himself has ruled out his candidature for the post, his group is opposed to Jai Ram Thakur’s candidature, preferring Nadda over him.

Thakur was being seen as a natural claimant for the post as the party won nine of 10 assembly seats from Mandi district, where he is from.

Speculation is rife that I am still in the race for the CM’s post. But this is not true. I had clarified on day of results itself that I don’t want any position. PREM KUMAR DHUMAL, former Himachal CM