Amitabh
Shukla | Shimla
After
an internal power struggle in the Himachal BJP for five days, the party
announced the name of soft-spoken Jairam Thakur, having strong roots in the
RSS, as the new Chief Minister.
With
the party doing exceedingly well in the Mandi region in the Assembly polls,
winning nine of the 10 seats, the Rajput leader got the nod ahead of other
contenders and will be the first leader from this region who will get the
coveted post.
All
other Chief Ministers of the State so far have been from Kangra, Shimla and the
lower hills. Soon after his name was announced, the tense political atmosphere
in Shimla, decked in festive spirit ahead of Christmas and New Year, turned
boisterous with his supporters bursting into impromptu celebrations.
Thakur,
the 52-year-old five-time MLA from Seraj in Mandi was chosen after the BJP
chief ministerial face Prem Kumar Dhumal faced a shock defeat from Sujanpur
constituency, the result of which was announced on December 18.
After
the BJP won two thirds majority, Dhumal’s supporters pitched in for his name
despite his defeat, crediting him with the impressive performance of the party
in the polls. He was one of the top contenders for the post despite his defeat
but at the last moment, the Central leadership of the party convinced him and
his supporters that this would not send good signal to the rest of the country
as the countdown for the general elections of 2019 has already begun.
Another
serious contender for the top job was Union Health Minister JP Nadda. But party
sources maintained that sending him to the hill State would have ensured a
vacancy in the Union Council of Ministers and also the BJP Parliamentary Board
which would have led to some difficulties for the Centre. Also, he would have
had to contest an Assembly bypoll in six months and given the defeat of Dhumal
in the Assembly polls, it was not easy in the current political situation.
Though
a low-profile politician, Thakur cut his teeth as a pracharak of the RSS in the
Jammu region before shifting to electoral politics. He has been a State party
chief and has a good experience in Government as Rural Development and
Panchayati Raj Minister in the BJP Government headed by Dhumal. Though the
party leaders on record did not give importance to the caste factor, it is a
well-known fact that Himachal politics is driven around the Thakur (Rajput)
axis and this perhaps contributed to a consensus on his name. “One Thakur
(Dhumal) makes way for another Thakur,” summed up a party functionary in the
State capital, suggesting that any other caste for the top job would have led
to apprehensions.
Thakur
was elected leader of the BJP Legislature Party after the Central leadership
convinced the State leaders on Saturday itself that the observers — Nirmala
Sitharaman and Narendra Tomar — had found a consensus. The observers had
submitted their report to party president Amit Shah and a consensus was built
around Thakur’s name in consultation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi even
before the meeting of the Legislature Party, sources indicated.
In
the BJP Legislature Party meeting on Sunday, Thakur’s name was proposed by
Suresh Bhardwaj, himself a contender for the top job, two-time former Chief
Minister Dhumal and seconded by Nadda and another two-time Chief Minister
Shanta Kumar. Tomar later told the waiting mediapersons that there was no other
name in contention and Thakur was chosen unanimously as the leader of the BJP
Legislature Party.
The
Central observers Sitharaman and Tomar were present along with Nadda and State
party in-charge Mangal Pandey in the meeting of the MLAs. It is understood that
all the pros and cons were worked out in advance and a decision on Thakur’s
name was taken before the meeting of the Legislature Party and the announcement
was a mere formality.
Soon
after the Legislature Party meeting, the Chief Minister-elect met Governor
Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhavan to formally stake claim to form the new
Government in the State. Party top brass was present at the meeting, including
Dhumal, indicating that there was complete unanimity after his election for the
top job. Thakur is likely to take oath of office and secrecy soon after
Christmas.
Thanking
all party leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, party chief Amit Shah, Nadda,
Dhumal and Shanta Kumar, Thakur said his Government will try to meet the
expectations of the people of Himachal Pradesh. “Our dream of a Congress-free
Himachal Pradesh has been realised,” an enthusiastic Thakur told a huge media
gathering.
After
his stint in the RSS, Thakur contested for the first time on a BJP ticket in
the 1993 Assembly polls but lost. He won for the first time in 1998 and has won
five elections so far, including this one and has considerable legislative
experience and also sway amongst the newly elected MLAs.
Riding
on a strong anti-incumbency wave, the BJP had ousted the Congress from power by
winning 44 out of the 68 seats in the Assembly polls. Thakur
will be the sixth leader of the State to occupy the Chief Minister’s Office and
the 14th Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. (December 25, 2017)
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