BJP releases first list of 45 candidates

The state election committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which met in New Delhi on Friday evening, cleared the names of 45 candidates for the ensuing Himachal Pradesh assembly elections.

The state election committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which met in New Delhi on Friday evening, cleared the names of 45 candidates for the ensuing Himachal Pradesh assembly elections.

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The list released on Friday included 32 sitting MLAs, including chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, six of his cabinet colleagues and deputy speaker Rikhi Ram Kaundal.

The BJP has 43 MLAs in the outgoing assembly, which has a total strength of 68. The second list will be released next week.

One seat fell vacant after BJP general secretary JP Nadda was elected to the Rajya Sabha. The names were declared by party general secretary Ananth Kumar after a meeting of the central parliamentary board, convened at the house of party chief Nitin Gadkari.

The candidates: Prem Kumar Dhumal (Hamirpur), Hansraj (Churah), BK Chauhan (Chamba), Vikram Singh Jaryal (Bhatiyat), Renu Chadha (Dalhousie), Ranvir Singh Nikka (Nurpur), Vikram Singh Thakur (Jaswan Paragpur), Vipin Singh Parmar (Sulah), Mangal Singh Chaudhary (Nagrota Bagwan), Sarveen Chaudhary (Shahpur), Kishan Kapoor (Dharamsala), Praveen Sharma (Palampur), Ram Lal Markanday (Lahaul-Spiti), Govind Thakur (Manali), Khimi Ram (Banjar), Kishori Lal (Aani), Jai Ram Thakur (Seraj), Jawahar Thakur (Darang), Gulab Singh Thakur (Darang), DD Thakur (Mandi), Inder Singh Gandhi (Balh), Mahinder Singh Thakur (Dharampur), ID Dhiman (Bhoranj), Baldev Sharma (Badsar), Vijay Agnihotri (Naduan), Balbir Chaudhary (Chintpurni), Satpal Singh Satti (Una), Virender Kanwar (Kutlehar), Rikhi Ram Kaundal (Jhanduta), Randhir Sharma (Naina Devi), Govind Ram Sharma (Arki), KL Thakur (Nalagarh), Vinod Chandel (Doon), Suresh Kashyap (Pacchad), Hirday Rama (Renuka), Sukh Ram Chaudhary (Paonta Sahib), Baldev Singh Tomar (Shillai), Rakesh Verma (Theogh), Prem Kumar Thakur (Kasumpti), Suresh Bhardwaj (Shimla), Narinder Bragta (Jubbal and Kotkhai) and Prem Singh Draik (Rampur Bushar).