RS election: Himachal BJP sends four names to high command

10-member election panel convenes meeting in Shimla; state BJP chief Rajeev Bindal refuses to divulge names of candidates

The 10-member state election committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday met in Shimla to decide the names of Rajya Sabha candidates for the election that is to be held on March 26. The election was necessitated as term of Rajya Sabha member Viplove Thakur expires on April 6. The nomination for the election will be filed on March 13.

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State BJP chief Rajeev Bindal presided over the closed-door meeting that lasted for nearly three hours, while chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who returned to the state capital on Monday morning from his two-day visit to Jaipur and Delhi, also took part in it. The committee members deliberated on different names that were doing rounds.

Bindal said the party has formed a 4-member select panel that would be forwarded to party high command for its consideration. “Special meeting of the state election committee was convened here to discuss the names of candidates for the Rajya Sabha election due this month. Final decision of ticket allocation will be taken by the central high command and the parliamentary board. We will apprise the party high command about the deliberation,” said Bindal, while refusing to divulge the names of the candidates discussed in the meeting . It is learnt that former state BJP chief Satla Singh Satti was keen for Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant on March 6 and his name also came up in the meeting.

Indu Goswani, who has her own clout in the Centre, too is in the race for Rajya Sabha . Goswami had served as chairperson of the state commission for women . Despite resistance from BJP stalwart and former chief minister Shanta Kumar, Indu Goswamni had managed to get ticket from Palampur assembly segment . Goswami had lost to Congress first-timer Ashish Butal, son of former Vidhan sabha speaker Brij Bihari Butail. Former Rajya Sabha member Kripal parmar to was vying for ticket. Other candidates likely in the fray are central University vice-chancellor Kuldeep Chand Agnihotri, who has strong backing from the Rashtriya Syewam Sewak Sangh (RSS). Mahender Pandey, BJP offce secretary, was also one of the front runners. Pandey is close to national BJP chief Jagat Parakash Nadda and chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.

In the 68-member House , BJP has total strength of 44 while two indepdents Hoshiyar Singh Rana from Dehra and Parkash Rana from Jogindernagar have also extended their support to BJP. Himachal has three Rajya Sabha seats. BJP’s national president JP Nadda is RajyaSabha member from Himachal. Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma is also member of Rajya Sabha from Himachal.