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HP elections: BJP adopts ballot system to seek office bearer opinions on candidates
In a first, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has adopted a ballot system to seek the opinion of party workers while selecting candidates for the upcoming assembly elections
In a first, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has adopted a ballot system to seek the opinion of party workers while selecting candidates for the upcoming assembly elections.
The state would go to polls on November 12. Gazette notification for single phase election for 68 Assembly seats will be released on October 17 while the last date for making nominations has been set as October 25. The Congress’ first list of 57 candidates is likely to be announced today whereas BJP may release its list on October 18 or 19.
State BJP president Suresh Kashyap said that the party was in the process of finalizing its candidates.
“Since BJP is a cadre-based, democratic Party, we intend to seek the opinion of the party workers to select candidates for all the 68 seats for which we have adopted a secret ballot system,” said Kashyap.
The Shimla MP said that the party means the inclusion of the opinion of all the office bearers of blocks, districts, frontal organizations and elected representatives like Zila Parishad, panchayat and civic bodies.
“For that purpose, we convened meetings of all the 17 organizational districts in the four parliamentary segments in which the party office bearers have been asked to submit their opinion through the ballot, said Kashyap.
“Opinion thus obtained would be kept secret and will be consolidated to further pick up the candidates,” he said.
BJP and Congress are the key players in Himachal with the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also making attempts to make a foray into the hill state’s political landscapes.
The BJP is aiming to achieve a “mission repeat”, which has not happened in Himachal in four decades.
The BJP core group will likely meet in Delhi before the central parliamentary board meeting to decide the candidates. The core group comprises the state party chief Suresh Kashyap, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, organisational general secretary Pawan Rana, former chief minister Shanta Kumar, Union information and broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur, election in-charge for Himachal Saudan Singh, his deputy Dender Rana, state in-charge for party affairs Abinash Rai Khanna, his deputy Sanjay Tandon, former speaker Rajiv Bindal, health minister Rajiv Sezal, three party general secretaries, Trilok Jamwal, Rakesh Jamwal and Trilok Kapoor. The state party chief will prepare a report on the opinion polls held in the party on the choices of candidates. The party did a similar exercise in Uttarakhand.
