The BJP on Thursday appointed its vice-president Soudan Singh as incharge and senior leader from Jammu and Kashmir Devender Singh Rana as co-incharge for the upcoming assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh.
The announcement for party’s poll in-charges for Himachal Pradesh, where elections are likely to be held later this year, was made by BJP general secretary Arun Singh in a statement.
BJP is aiming to break the trend of changing government in Himachal Pradesh by retaining power in the state. At present, BJP has 43 MLAs in the 68-member Himachal Pradesh assembly. Singh, stationed at Chandigarh, has been looking after party work in several northern states, including Himachal Pradesh.
For Rana, a mass leader from Jammu, this is first big responsibility in the party, after he joined BJP last year from National Conference.
BJP insiders see this as a reflection of Rana’s rising graph within the party, as he has been given responsibility of the home state of party president J P Nadda.
Rana, an engineering graduate and three-time legislator in the erstwhile assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, is seen as a person with great skills of political management. His joining infused a fresh energy in Jammu and Kashmir’s BJP unit, as he enjoys influence in the region.
A popular Hindu face, Rana was the only non-BJP candidate who managed to win Nagrota seat during 2014 assembly elections in Jammu district as a National Conference nominee, while remaining seats went to the BJP.
