The Bharatiya Janata Party declared Prem Kumar Dhumal as its chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh assembly elections.
BJP chief Amit Shah made the announcement at a public meeting on 31 October, putting to rest speculation over the party's choice for the top post.
Dhumal, a veteran party leader in the hill state, has been the chief minister twice already. The BJP and the Congress were ruling the state alternately for close to three decades, and Dhumal was at the helm for 10 years.
“Prem Kumar Dhumal will once again make a wonderful Chief Minister,” PM Narendra Modi tweeted after the announcement.
Dhumal Ji is among our senior most leaders with rich administrative experience in Himachal. He will once again make a wonderful CM @DhumalHP https://t.co/Cogn24lIKn
Dhumal thanked BJP high command, the party workers and people of Himachal Pradesh for his candidature, news agency ANI reported.
As campaigning goes on in full swing for the 9 November elections, Dhumal has often hinted that Congress legislators were unhappy with incumbent CM Virbhadra Singh and were in touch with him.
Union minister JP Nadda was seen as one of the contenders, but Dhumal's mass connect in the hill state seems to have tipped the scale in his favour. Nadda called Dhumal and congratulated him for being elected as the candidate, ANI reported.
Dhumal's son Anurag Thakur, the former BCCI president, is contesting from the constituency of Hamirpur.
The voting for the elections will be held on 9 November and the results are expected to be announced on 18 December.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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