The BJP leadership is believed to have agreed to and pushed the name of Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda for the post of Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh after a detailed report from party leaders in the State.
His name is expected to be announced on Sunday by the central party observers at a meeting of newly elected MLAs, MPs and members of the BJP core group.
Senior party leader Prem Kumar Dhumal, who was the party’s chief ministerial face but lost the elections from his constituency of Sujanpur, in a press release late on Saturday, said he was pulling out of the race for Chief Minister.
While thanking the people of the State for giving a massive majority to his party, Mr. Dhumal said he had been always supported by the people of Himachal Pradesh and now the selection of the Chief Minister is the sole right of the party high command.
“I was never in the race and had made it clear on the day I lost the elections from Sujanpur,” he said, adding that he wanted to end speculation raised by a section of the media.
Thakur appeal
In a similar statement, the other contender, Jairam Thakur, in a post on his Facebook page, appealed to the people of his constituency Siraj and Mandi district not to make any objectionable and unpleasant remarks against any leaders.
The statements by the two leaders come after their supporters held loud protests before observers from the party high command on Friday, provoking condemnation.
Earlier on Saturday, Himachal Pradesh BJP president Satpal Satti said the name of the new chief minister would be announced soon and the new government would be sworn in at a public ceremony in the Ridge Maidan oath ceremony of the new government would be organised on the historic Ridge Maidan in full public view on Monday, which is also former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday.
Mr. Satti said a party disciplinary committee would also look into acts of indiscipline before the central observers — Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Tomar — on Friday when supporters of former Mr. Dhumal and Mr. Thakur, raised slogans in support of their leaders.
Addressing a press conference, Mr. Satti said the defeat of Mr. Dhumal and other senior leaders had dampened the spirits of the BJP workers to a great extent but still the party had registered a massive victory and had got eight per cent more votes than the Congress. He said the party had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah and Chief Ministers for the swearing-in ceremony.
