There will be a new face as chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, as BJP picked five-time legislator Jairam ahead of Union minister JP Nadda.
The meeting was attended by the party’s Central observers Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra S
ingh Tomar. The legislators will meet the Governor later to announce their decision.
The legislators’ decision came a day after Prem Kumar Dhumal whom the BJP had named as its prospective Chief Minister 10 days before the elections – pulled out of the race. The 73-year-old had lost the election to his Congress opponent and one-time protege Rajendra Rana, even though his party won 44 of the state’s 68 seats. But he remained in the race as several loyal lawmakers offered him their fresh-won seats.
Thakur has been seen as a Chief Minister-in-waiting for a long time. The 52-year-old had earlier been the party’s state unit chief and a minister in a government headed by Dhumal.
Considered a popular Thakur face, the lawmaker from Seraj constituency served as the BJP’s state chief between 2006 and 2009 and was credited with striking a balance between the warring factions.