The defeated CM candidate may be offered a ministerial berth; the offer was made after he blamed rival factions for his loss.
New Delhi: The BJP is likely to bring senior Himachal Pradesh leader Prem Kumar Dhumal to the Centre in what is seen as an effort to quell discontent in the party’s state unit in the aftermath of the assembly poll results.
Dhumal, who was declared chief ministerial candidate, lost in the Sujanpur constituency in the recent assembly election.
Sources told ThePrint that Dhumal has been promised a ministerial berth at the Centre, a move aimed at placating the veteran leader who was asked to contest from Sujanpur by the top brass, instead of the ‘safe seat’ of Hamirpur.
The offer was made after Dhumal reportedly blamed his loss on rival factions within the party, the sources added.
“The change in his seat (from Hamirpur to Sujanpur) was unwarranted. While he made an impact on surrounding constituencies, he lost in his own seat,” a source close to Dhumal told ThePrint.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been apprised about the need to accommodate Dhumal in his council of ministers, the sources said.
The decision to bring Dhumal to the Centre was taken in view of the support he enjoyed in his home state.
“Many MLAs pledged support to Dhumal when central observers came to visit the state to reach a consensus on the CM candidate. A few even offered to leave their seats for Dhumal,” said the source close to Dhumal.
Jai Ram Thakur, considered close to Union health minister J.P. Nadda, was shortlisted for the post of CM. Later Dhumal also accepted the decision.
The party sources said that Dhumal will be nominated to the Rajya Sabha and given a cabinet berth.
Himachal Pradesh has three Rajya Sabha seats, of which two belong to the Congress and one to BJP. The BJP seat is represented by Nadda, whose term ends in 2018.
The party sources also said that if not from Himachal, Dhumal may be offered a Rajya Sabha from another state.