The BJP will fight the assembly election in Himachal Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, the party's national chief JP Nadda told reporters today.
Elections are scheduled in the hill state later this year.
"Jai Ram Thakur is doing good work and he will continue," Mr Nadda told reporters, putting to rest speculation over Mr Thakur's replacement after Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia claimed the BJP would replace the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister with Union Minister Anurag Thakur.
No minister in Himachal Pradesh would be changed, Mr Nadda said. He added, however, that some 15 per cent BJP MLAs would not get tickets to fight the election.
Mr Nadda said the party is confident of a win in the hill state. The BJP, for example, used to contest only 23 of 117 assembly seats in Punjab as a junior alliance partner, but in the recently held elections, it contested 68 seats as a senior alliance partner, Mr Nadda said.
The Himachal Pradesh elections have always remained a contest between the Congress and the BJP, but this time the Aam Aadmi Party is trying to gain a foothold in the state.
The AAP came to power in neighbouring Punjab recently.
