BJP releases first list of 62 candidates for Himachal Pradesh polls, drops 11 sitting MLAs

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday released its first list of 62 candidates for the Himachal Pradesh assembly election polls which is to be held next month. In total, there are 68 seats in the Himachal Pradesh assembly.

As per the list, incumbent Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur will contest from his current constituency Seraj. However , the name of former chief minister and veteran party leader Prem Kumar Dhumal did not figure in the list. According to PTI, the 78-year-old leader, whose son Anurag Thakur is a Union minister, had conveyed to the party leadership his unwillingness to contest. Notably, the saffron party has refrained from fielding those above 75 years of age in some previous polls.

BJP has also dropped 11 sitting MLAs, including a cabinet minister, and changed the seats of two ministers -- Suresh Bharadwaj and Rakesh Pathania. Bharadwaj, a senior BJP leader in the state and a sitting MLA from Shimla Urban constituency, has been fielded from Kasumpti, while Nurpur MLA Pathania has been given a ticket from the neighbouring Fatehpur.


Minister Mahendra Singh, MLA from Dharampur, has been replaced by his son Rajat Thakur.

The BJP has fielded Chetan Bragta from Jubbal-Kotkhai, who contested as an independent in the by-election after the party had denied him a ticket.

Anil Sharma, son of former Union minister Sukh Ram, has been fielded from Mandi.

The first list of BJP features eight candidates belonging to Scheduled Tribes, while only three seats are reserved under the 'ST category'. Around two-third of the recommended candidates are graduates and post graduates.

The list also features five women candidates, while opposition Congress has named three women among the 46 candidates it has announced so far.

The BJP's list was finalised during Monday's meeting of the party's Central Election Committee, whose members include Prime Minister Narendra Modi among other senior leaders.

Assembly polls in the state are scheduled for November 12 and the last date for filing nominations is October 25.

With PTI Inputs