No BJP CM face for Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls?

New Delhi: The BJP may go into Himachal Pradesh’s Assembly elections — to be held later this year — without a chief ministerial candidate.

Most party cadres, sources said, are against former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal being projected for the job because of the corruption charges slapped against him when he was the CM. There is also confusion over whether or not Union minister J.P. Nadda will be sent back to the state.

The names of two senior state leaders — Satpal Singh Satti and Jairam Thakur — and Sangh pracharak Ajay Jamwal are doing the rounds for the top job.

Speculation has been rife within the state BJP that Mr Dhumal now wants his younger son to enter politics and has been lobbying hard for him. His elder son, Anurag Thakur, is already MP from Hamirpur.

While there is growing anti-incumbency against CM and Congress stalwart Virbhadra Singh and the BJP is confident of coming to power in the hill state, it is also wary of Mr Dhumal’s supporters lobbying for him.

While speculation is rife that Mr Nadda could also be the CM candidate, the state cadre is aware that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not in favour of disturbing his Cabinet.

With the BJP high command favouring RSS pracharaks and former pracharks for the top post, Sangh pracharak and Northeast in-chrge Ajay Jamwal’s name is also doing the rounds for the top post.

Mr Satti, a senior leader, is the state unit chief and Mr Thakur is a former state Cabinet minister. While Mr Satti has a clean image and an is considered as an organisation man, Mr Thakur is considered as a good administrator and one of the favourites of the cadre.