Bindal consensus candidate, set to get third term as BJP state president

State BJP president Rajeev Bindal is all set to get a third term as party president. He emerged as the consensus candidate today, as he was the only person to file nomination papers for the post.

Bindal, in the presence of all senior party leaders, filed the nomination papers at the state BJP office here. Though a formal announcement about Bindal’s third term will be made tomorrow, his continuation as the state party president is a foregone conclusion.

Bindal, known for his exceptional organisational skills, had been Health and Family Welfare Minister and the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha. The possibility that Bindal would be asked to continue on the post was not ruled out and the party high command expressed faith in his leadership once again.

Bindal emerged as the choice of the top leadership, including national BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda, for the post while the names of Kangra MP Rajeev Bhardwaj, Bilaspur MLA Trilok Jamwal, and Rajya Sabha MPs Indu Goswami and Sikander Kumar were also doing the rounds.

Bindal, a five-time legislator, had initially won the Assembly election from Solan and later from the Nahan constituency in Sirmaur district. He, however, had lost the 2022 Assembly election to Congress nominee Ajay Solanki from Nahan.

Bindal became the BJP president in January 2020 but had to resign from the post in May 2020 following a controversy in the Health Department. However, he made a comeback and was appointed the party chief again in April 2023. This will be his third term as the party president.

Kangra MP Rajiv Bhardwaj, who was the election officer, said that he had received three sets of nomination papers, all with the name of Bindal, for election as the state party president. Bindal’s nomination was approved and backed by Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, the entire BJP Legislature Party, all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, former state presidents, former ministers and senior BJP leaders.

All senior BJP leaders, namely national BJP vice-president Saudan Singh, former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Himachal BJP in-charge Shrikant Sharma and co-incharge Sanjay Tandon, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur, all MPs, MLAs and all senior leaders were present on the occasion.

Bhardwaj said that eight nominations were filed for the posts of the members of the BJP National Council. Those who filed nominations included general secretaries Trilok Kapoor and Bihari Lal Sharma, MLAs Govind Thakur, Trilok Kapoor, and Pawan Kajal, former minister Rajiv Sehjal, former state Mahila BJP President Rashmidhar Sood, Payal Vaidya and Sanjeev Katwal. Bhardwaj said that Jai Ram, all MPs (Anurag Thakur, Suresh Kashyap, Kangana Ranaut, Rajiv Bhardwaj, Indu Goswami, Sikander Kumar and Harsh Mahajan) were elected ex-officio members of the National Council.

Himachal Tribune