In poll-bound environment, Bindal takes charge as Himachal BJP chief

Shimla: Losing no time to allow the embattled BJP to suffer any more, newly appointed Himachal Pradesh BJP president Rajeev Bindal assumed the charge of the party post in presence of senior leaders at party headquarters here.

Bindal has replaced a sitting Lok Sabha member from Shimla Suresh Kashyap whose term was to end in May 2023 but he had offered to resign.

Former Speaker Bindal is a five-time BJP MLA but lost his election in 2022 from Nahan, his stronghold.

This will be Bindal’s second term as the earlier one was cut short due to his resignation following Congress allegations of his role in a medical purchase scam during the BJP regime and Covid time. Since then he had remained side-lined though being a close confidant of BJP President J P Nadda.

On Monday, he returned to the post and offered to work unitedly with senior leaders and party workers to ensure a repeat of BJP’s impressive performance in 2019 in the next year’s Lok Sabha polls.

The event was marked by celebrations at the party office about the change and also his appointment though there were names like two Rajya Sabha members – Indu Goswami and Dr Sikander Kumar, beside former Speaker Vipin Parmar being picked-up.

Because of the Shimla MC poll, Bindal’s appointment holds quite an importance even as the party’s target remains the Lok Sabha polls after its defeat in the 2022 elections.

“I am grateful to central leadership, including Modi ji, Amit Shah ji, Nadda ji, Saudan Singhji and Anurag Thakur and the high command for giving this responsibility to me,” Bindal said.

The strategy for the Shimla MC polls has already been chalked out by Kashyap, Jai Ram ji and others. I will join them in working in the seven wards that have been allotted to me,” he said.