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Nadda arrives in Himachal to review strategy for byelections
Kept Sunday’s programme private and spent the day with his father NL Nadda at his home in Vijaypur village
BJP national chief JP Nadda arrived on a three-day visit to Himachal Pradesh on Sunday during which he would review the strategy for crucial byelection to the Mandi Lok Sabha and Fatehpur and Jubbal-Kotkhai assembly segments.
Chief minister Jai Thakur welcomed the Nadda at Luhnu Ground on his arrival in Bilaspur, his home town.
BJP state president Suresh Kashyap, urban development minister Suresh Bhardwaj, food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister Rajinder Garg, MLAs Subhash Thakur, Rakesh Jamwal, JR Katwal and Inder Singh Gandhi, former MLA and BJP spokesperson Randhir Sharma, HP state wool federation president Trilok Kapoor, state BJP organisation general secretary Pawan Rana, and political adviser to the CM Trilok Jamwal were among others on present on the occasion.
Later, the chief minister also had a discussion about political scenario with Nadda at Bilaspur Circuit House. Nadda kept Sunday’s programme private and spent the day with his father NL Nadda at his home in Vijaypur village. The BJP chief is scheduled to visit Kullu on Monday where he would inspect the Atal Tunnel, Rohtang.
He would be discussing poll strategy for the byelection to Mandi Lok Sabha seat which fell vacant after sitting MP Ram Swaroop allegedly committed suicide at his Delhi residence in March this year. Nadda would take feedback from the local leaders about the mood among the voters in the parliamentary constituency. Mandi Lok Sabha seat holds importance for the BJP for being home turf of chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.
The party has appointed Jal Shakti minister Mahender Singh in-charge for the byelection in Mandi, who has submitted a report to the high command about the preparations and prospects of candidates. Ram Swaroop’s son Shanti Swaroop had staked claimed for the ticket and even met chief minister Jai Ram Thakur several times in this regard. On the other hand, the Jal Shakti minister also expressed a desire to contest the Mandi bypolls. He had asked the party high command to allocate a ticket to his son from his assembly segment Dharampur that he has represented six times.
However, so far, the party leadership has not responded to the conditions laid by Mahender, who is known for his political acumen and election management.
The other front runner for the ticket is Kargil War hero Kushal Thakur and vice-president Ajay Rana. BJP’s northeast zonal secretary Ajay Jamwal also held meetings with the BJP’s top brass, fuelling speculations of sorts, while the name of Pankaj Jamwal, president, Joginder Nagar assembly segment, has also cropped up.
