Himachal Pradesh polls: BJP announces first list of 62 candidates
The BJP on Wednesday (October 19) released its first list of 62 candidates for the polls to the 68-member Himachal Pradesh Assembly, fielding Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur from his constituency Seraj.
Anil Sharma, son of former Union minister Sukh Ram, has been fielded from Mandi.
Also read: Himachal Pradesh polls: Congress announces first list
The list, which features five women candidates, was finalised in Monday’s meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee, whose members include Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders.
The party dropped 11 sitting MLAs, including a Cabinet minister, and changed the seats of two ministers – Suresh Bharadwaj and Rakesh Pathania.
Also read: Himachal poll: Govt employees hold key with OPS an emotive issue
Bharadwaj, a senior BJP leader in the state and a sitting MLA from Shimla Urban constituency, has been fielded from Kasumpti, while Nurpur MLA Pathania has been given a ticket from the neighbouring Fatehpur.
Minister Mahendra Singh, MLA from Dharampur, has been replaced by his son Rajat Thakur. The BJP has fielded Chetan Bragta from Jubbal-Kotkhai, who contested as an independent in the by-election after the party had denied him a ticket.
Anil Sharma, son of former Union minister Sukh Ram, has been fielded from Mandi.
The name of the former chief minister and veteran party leader Prem Kumar Dhumal did not figure in the list.
Party sources, according to a PTI report, said the 78-year-old leader, whose son Anurag Thakur is a Union minister, had conveyed to the party leadership his unwillingness to contest.
The BJP has in some earlier polls refrained from fielding those above 75 years of age. Eight candidates belonging to Scheduled Tribes figure in the list, while only three seats are reserved under the ST category.
Around two-third of the recommended candidates are graduates and post-graduates.
Assembly polls in the state have been scheduled for November 12 and the last date for filing nominations is October 25.
भारतीय जनता पार्टी केंद्रीय कार्यालय ने आगामी विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए हिमाचल प्रदेश की 62 विधानसभा क्षेत्रों में घोषित किए प्रत्याशी।
सभी उम्मीदवारों को अग्रिम शुभकामनाएं।#हिमाचल_में_फिर_भाजपा pic.twitter.com/PPelv0cbuH
— BJP Himachal Pradesh (@BJP4Himachal) October 19, 2022
(With agency inputs)
