New Delhi, February 01: AS the state unit could not elect its chief on Sunday, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has stepped in and called Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and party veteran Shanta Kumar to New Delhi for a meeting on Monday.
Dhumal and Kumar are once again at loggerheads as both differ on the choice of candidates for the president’s post. While Dhumal wants present incumbent Khimi Ram to continue, Kumar is in favour of an “assertive and stronger” person with greater “understanding of the organisation and skills”. He is pushing for State Forest Minister J P Nadda for this post.
Nadda, on his part, is keen on taking up the organisational job as he has worked with Gadkari as head of the All Indian Yuva Janata Morcha in the early 90s.
As a second choice for the post, while Dhumal favours Randhir Sharma, a sitting MLA from Bilaspur, Kumar may settle on Khushi Ram Balnatah, party’s general secretary and newly elected MLA from Rohru.
Kumar, who reached Delhi on Sunday evening, hoped that the new party president would be in place in the next few days.
—Agencies