BJP's internal fight intensifies over HP CM suspense

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh): The members of Himachal Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a protest while a meeting of the party central observers Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Singh Tomar was underway, saying that the next chief minister should be chosen from the elected MLAs and that there should be no lobbying. This comes in the awake of Prem Kumar Dhumal, who has been the state's chief minister for two full terms, being considered as the front-runner for the state's top post once again, despite losing on the Sujanpur seat in the recently-held Assembly polls. To counter the protest, Dhumal's supporters also took to the streets and raised slogans outside the venue of Core Committee meeting in Shimla. The name of the new Chief Minister is likely to be announced today. Among the newly-elected MLAs, five-time lawmaker Jairam Thakur is also being seen as a contender for the chief ministerial post, along with Union Minister JP Nadda. In the recently held Assembly polls, BJP stood victorious in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections with 44 seats, while the Congress acquired 20 seats in the total 68 constituencies.