Hectic lobbying underway for Himachal BJP chief’s post, panel of five names sent to Nadda

Randhir Sharma, a two-time legislator backed by former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, and Rajeev Bhardwaj, who is the chairman of the Kangra Co-operative Bank and close to Shanta Kumar and JP Nadda confidant Trilok Jamwal are among the frontrunners

Shimla: A week after Rajeev Bindal stepped down as the Himachal Pradesh BJP chief when his name surfaced in the health department medical equipment scam, hectic lobbying is underway for the coveted post.

Bindal was Nadda’s choice for the state president in January, but he wasted no time in accepting his resignation as the opposition Congress scaled up its attack on chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who also holds the health portfolio. (PTI)

A vigilance and anti-corruption department probe into the irregularities in the purchase of medical equipment was ordered after an audio clip of former health director Dr Ajay Gupta’s conversation with a dealer surfaced on social media in which he was heard seeking a bribe of Rs 5 lakh. Though Bindal, 65, denied any link to the case, he quit on moral grounds.

Former chief minister Shanta Kumar was critical of the scam in the purchase of equipment amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the matter reached the offices of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and party national president Jagat Parkash Nadda. Bindal was Nadda’s choice for the state president in January, but he wasted no time in accepting his resignation as the opposition Congress scaled up its attack on chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who also holds the health portfolio.

Among the aspirants, backed by party stalwarts, lobbying for the post is Randhir Sharma, a two-time legislator who also remained the BJP state general secretary. Sharma, who is the chief spokesman of the party, is backed by former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Shanta Kumar is once again backing Rajeev Bhardwaj, who is chairman of the Kangra Co-operative Bank. He remained the state secretary of the party and also served as its vice-president. Bhardwaj was also the district president of the BJP’s Kangra unit.

Party general secretary Trilok Jamwal is another frontrunner. His name had also cropped up when Bindal replaced the party’s longest serving president Satpal Singh Satti five months ago. Trilok is from Bilaspur district and considered close to Nadda. The party’s powerful organisational secretary, Pawan Rana, backs Trilok.

First-time legislator from Sundernagar and party general secretary Rakesh Jamwal is the blue-eyed boy of the chief minister and a keen contender for the post. He was earlier president of the party’s Mandi district unit.

Ram Singh, who is from the Scheduled Caste community, may have unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections from Kullu in 2012 but he enjoys the backing of Sangh leaders and is also vying for the post. Ram Singh had been president of the party’s Kullu district unit.

The state unit has drawn up a panel of the names of all five aspirants and forwarded them to Nadda. There is every likelihood that the party high command may have its own choice for state BJP president.