Race for Himachal CM heats up; JP Nadda, Jairam Thakur frontrunners, BJP high command to take a call

Mandi: Newly-elected BJP MLA Jairam Thakur, who is one of the chief ministerial candidates for Himachal Pradesh, has said that he will abide by the decision taken by the central leadership of the party.

“Whatever the party will decide I will do. I am very happy that there is going to be BJP government in Himachal Pradesh. I thank all the people of the state for voted for us,” Thakur was quoted as saying by ANI.

Thakur, while expressing happiness over the BJP's victory in Himachal Pradesh, assured that the incoming government would work for the all-round development of the state.

''We will work for the development of the state. The party will also improve the law and order situation in Himachal Pradesh,'' Thakur added.

Thakur won from Seraj constituency by defeating Chet Ram of the Congress. Thakur had earlier served as a cabinet minister in the BJP ministry in the hill state. 

He was the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. He was elected to Himachal Pradesh Assembly from Mandi and had won his first election in the year of 1998.

Ironically, Prem Kumar Dhumal, the projected BJP chief ministerial candidate, lost to Congress' Rajinder Rana from the Sujanpur seat. Dhumal won 18,559 votes while Rana bagged 21,492.

BJP's state president Satpal Singh Satti too lost in Una.

After Prem Kumar Dhumal's defeat in the election, the race for state's chief ministership has intensified and is likely to see a toss up between Thakur and Union Health Minister JP Nadda. 

Jagat Prakash Nadda has been part of the Narendra Modi Cabinet since 2014 and is believed to be very close the PM and BJP chief Amit Shah.

His past association with the RSS - BJP's ideological mentor - is likely to work in his favour.

The BJP won 44, while the Congress won 21 seats in the elections to 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly, the results of which were declared yesterday.

(With ANI inputs)