Rajiv Bindal re-elected as Himachal BJP chief for third term

Himachal Pradesh BJP chief Rajiv Bindal was re-elected unopposed for a third term on Tuesday.

He was the only party leader to file nomination papers for the post on Monday.

Union minister Jitendra Singh declared Bindal elected unopposed on Tuesday.

Bindal has served as an MLA five times, from 2002 to 2022. He won three assembly elections from Solan and two from Nahan. He also served as the health minister in the Prem Kumar Dhumal-led government from 2007 to 2012.

He was unanimously elected as the speaker of the 13th Vidhan Sabha on January 10, 2018, and held the post till January 2020. He had a brief stint as the state BJP chief before being reappointed in April 2023.

Nominations for eight National Council members were also filed on Monday.

Former minister Govind Thakur and party general secretaries Bihari Lal Sharma, Trilok Kapoor, Pawan Kajal, Rashmi Dhar Sood, Payal Vaidya, Rajiv Saizal and Sanjeev Katwal were elected as National Council members.

Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur; former Union minister Anurag Thakur; Lok Sabha members Suresh Kashyap, Kangna Ranaut and Rajiv Bharadwaj; and Rajya Sabha members Indu Goswami, Sikender Kumar and Harsh Mahajan were elected as ex-officio members of the National Council.