Union Minister made poll incharge; race for state BJP president hots up

With BJP’s organisational elections in the final stages, the saffron party could soon get a new state president as the high command has appointed Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh as the election incharge for state president.

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The names for the top party post that are doing the rounds mostly include sitting MLAs and MPs. The frontrunners for the top BJP post include Bilaspur legislator Trilok Jamwal, former Speaker and Sulah MLA Vipin Parmar, Rajya Sabha MP Indu Goswami and Una MLA Satpal Singh Satti.

Party sources said the names of former Industries Minister Bikram Singh, a sitting MLA from Jaswan-Pragpur, and Rajya Sabha MP Sikander Kumar are also learnt to be in the zone of consideration.

Jamwal appears to be a strong contender for the post as he has always been a strong organisational leader and is a confidant of Union Health Minister and BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda.

In fact, Jamwal represents Bilaspur Sadar, the home Assembly segment of Nadda, and has become an MLA for the first time after serving in the party organisation for several years. “There is not an iota of doubt that eventually the BJP state president will be a man of Nadda’s choice and confidence,” said a senior party MLA.

In case the BJP wishes to appoint a woman as the state chief, then Indu Goswami will be a clear favourite. She hails from Baijnath area of Kangra and enjoys the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the days he was BJP incharge of Himachal.

With Kangra being the biggest and politically most significant district, former Speaker and MLA Vipin Parmar could also find favour with the party as he has vast organisational experience and is considered a very seasoned and mature politician.

The name of Satti is also doing the rounds as he has had impactful stints earlier as state party president for three consecutive terms from January 2012.

Though it is unclear as to who would find favour with the party central leadership, the possibility of state BJP president Rajeev Bindal getting a second consecutive term appears unlikely. He had a short stint as the party chief from January to May 2020 and was again given the reins of the party for the second time in April 2023. Even though it is under Bindal’s leadership that the BJP won all four Lok Sabha seats, the party could only win three of the nine Assembly bypolls that were held last year.

Kangra Lok Sabha MP Rajeev Bhardwaj has been appointed state election officer for the state BJP organisational poll. So far, mandal presidents in 102 of the 171 mandals across the state have been elected in the first phase. Elections in the remaining mandals will be undertaken in two phases later.