As the Bharatiya Janata Party ponders over its defeat in the recently concluded Vidhan Sabha elections, on Monday the party asked its cadres to prepare for the byelections in Mandi parliamentary segment that would be necessitated after Virbhadra Singh, who is a sitting member, will have to resign after taking over the reign of the state for the sixth term.

It is in the forenoon that BJP legislators met at the government-run Peterhoff hotel to elect its leader. All the 26 legislators who were present unanimously elected Prem Kumar Dhumal as the party leader. Central observer party's national general secretary Thawal Chand Ghelot said that a resolution was moved by the party's senior legislator Suresh Bhardwaj. "All the legislators endorsed the candidature of Dhumal jee," said Ghelot.

Outgoing chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal addressed the legislators. Dhumal asked legislators to fight for the interests of common man. "People in the state are remorseful about the BJP's staying out of power," said Dhumal, adding that he appealed to all the elected legislators to express their gratitude to the electors. "We pledged to stand by people in all odds and evens," said Dhumal.

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