JP Nadda confidant Rajeev Bindal back as Himachal BJP chief
New Delhi/Shimla, April 23
Former minister and five-time MLA Rajeev Bindal was today appointed Himachal BJP chief for the second time, replacing Shimla MP Suresh Kashyap, who quit two days ago.
Known for his political acumen and organisational skills, Bindal (68), a confidant of party chief JP Nadda, was chosen even as he lost the 2022 Assembly poll from Nahan to Congress’ Ajay Solanki.
Second stint for five-time MLA
- Rajeev Bindal earlier elected state BJP chief in Jan 2020
- Had to resign months later following a Health Dept ‘scam’
- Bindal, a Nadda confidant, returns ahead of 2024 LS election
Bindal like his predecessor also hails from Sirmaur district. The BJP had suffered a setback in Sirmaur in the 2022 Assembly polls, losing three of the five segments.
Bindal was earlier elected state BJP chief in January 2020, but he resigned in May the same year after he was linked to an alleged scam in which the then Director, Health Services, was arrested.
Bindal would be expected to galvanise the party cadres for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, besides plugging gaps that caused the saffron party’s defeat in the recent Assembly polls. Also, the circumstances under which Bindal had stepped down as party chief earlier during Jai Ram Thakur’s tenure as the CM resulted in the two not sharing very cordial relations. Now, Thakur, who is presently the Leader of Opposition, and Bindal will have to work in close coordination to strengthen the party ahead of crucial polls, including the Shimla MC elections. The BJP, meanwhile, shifted Sidharthan, party’s Delhi general secretary organisation, to the hill state and replaced him with Himachal leader Pawan Rana.
