Shimla: Himachal Pradesh BJP president Khimi
Ram was on Wednesday unanimously re-elected state party chief after
the central high command gave its nod in a marathon meeting by
top leaders at New Delhi Monday night, party sources said
here.
BJP president Nitin Gadkari had convened the meeting,
that lasted nearly five hours, of state party leaders
including Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal when the state core
group failed to reach a consensus on any name.
Party central observer Ramnath Gobind, Party incharge
Satyapal Jain and co-incharge O P Dhankar and other party
leaders were present at the party headquarters, where the
election was just a formality.
However, the national vice-president and former Chief
Minister Shanta Kumar and two ministers, who had reservations
about the continuation of Khimi Ram, were conspicuous by their
absence in the meeting.
Kumar was in support of either J P Nadda, state forest
minister Khushi Ram Balnata (general secretary of the state
unit) for the post of state BJP chief.
The Chief Minister supported Ram, who was nominated by
the party high command last year after he resigned from the
post of Deputy Speaker when the then party chief Jai Ram
Thakur was inducted in the Council of Ministers.
PTI
