The BJP chose low-profile Seraj MLA Jai Ram Thakur as Himachal Pradesh's next Chief Minister. He will be sworn in as the 13th CM of the hill state at the historic Ridge Maidan on Wednesday, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.
The move also ends an old rivalry for the top post between upper and lower areas as Thakur comes from central Mandi district.
Contrary to speculations that BJP's central leadership may push Union Health Minister JP Nadda's name in the wake of a bitter rift between former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal and Thakur's lobby, not a single slogan was shouted during the meeting of newly elected MLAs that took place in the presence of central observers Nirmala Sitharaman and Narender Singh Tomar at Hotel Peterhoff on Sunday.
Thakur's name was proposed by Dhumal and he was elected unanimously as the new leader after being seconded by Nadda and another two-time CM Shanta Kumar.
Thakur is considered to be a soft-spoken and a solid organisation man. It was his influence in Mandi that helped the BJP bag nine out of the 10 Assembly seats from the area.
Thakur, who will turn 53 on January 6, belongs to the Rajput community which has a significant presence in the hill state.
He has won his 5th consecutive Assembly election from Seraj, earlier known as Chachiot in Mandi district, defeating Chet Ram of the Congress.
Mandi is second only to Kangra that sends 15 MLAs to the Vidhan Sabha.
Thakur's dominance in his constituency could be judged from the fact that despite the remoteness and difficult topography, 56 out of 58 panchayats in Seraj constituency were connected by road even as there was a Congress government in the state.
"We will try to meet the expectations of the people of Himachal Pradesh. Our dream of a Congress-free Himachal Pradesh has been realised," Thakur said in his first remarks after being elected as new CM.
He was always called CM in the waiting even during the last tenure of Dhumal till 2012.
But this time around, he emerged as a favourite for the top post after the defeat of BJP's chief ministerial face Dhumal from Sujanpur.
Thakur served as rural development and panchayati raj minister in the Dhumal government from 2010 to 2012.
The BJP ousted the Congress from power by winning 44 out of the 68 seats.
With Dhumal's key men already having lost the election and Nadda's name not eliciting any warm response, Thakur with the complete backing of Shanta Kumar clinched the deal.
The BJP has named a Thakur face its CM candidate at a time when, after losing polls, Congress' Virbhadra Singh seems to have played out his last political innings. Nadda was a Brahmin, which is the second dominant community in Himachal Pradesh after Rajputs.
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 "Jai Ram Thakur")
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