The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday decided on the name of five-time MLA Jairam Thakur to take over as the 13th chief minister of Himachal Pradesh. The BJP Legislative Party met here today and elected Thakur as its leader. Central observers Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, JP Nadda and Narendra Singh Tomar as well as state party in-charge Mangal Pandey were present when the decision was taken. Jairam Thakur will be the BJP legislature party leader in Himachal Pradesh," Tomar told reporters after the meeting. Thakur's name was proposed by former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal, who had lost in the recently-concluded Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election.
“I thank everyone, the central leadership, Prem Kumar Dhumal ji who proposed my name supported by JP Nadda, Shanta Kumar ji,” Thakur said after his election. The BJP had won 44 of the 68 seats in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly. Election results were announced on Monday. Dhumal, who lost the election in Sujanpur, has made it clear that he was not in the race for the chief minister’s post. Thakur, a five-time MLA from Seraj in Mandi district, was the frontrunner for the job as he enjoys a strong backing of the RSS and a section of BJP MLAs in Himachal.
Thakur was previously part of Dhumal’s cabinet and also worked as the president of the BJP state unit. He is perceived to be a non-controversial pick due to this low-profile. His election marks a monumental shift in the state politics which saw the successive administrations of Congress’ Virbhadra Singh and BJP’s Dhumal.