File photo: BJP leader Anurag Thakur
New Delhi:
Young BJP leader Anurag Thakur, who is being considered for a berth in the Narendra Modi ministry, is the son of Prem Kumar Dhumal, veteran BJP leader and former chief minister of Himachal Pradesh.
Said to be groomed as a replacement for Varun Gandhi, he was retained in BJP president Amit Shah's new team as a party spokesperson and the chief of its youth wing. Varun Gandhi was dropped as the party general secretary in that reshuffle, conducted in August.
A ministerial berth for him could also be a reward for the party's superb performance in the state - winning all four of its Lok Sabha seats. Though the figure is small, PM Modi, who became the party's state in-charge in 1993, had said during his election campaign that Himachal Pradesh was close to his heart.
Thakur's father, Mr Dhumal has also been a personal friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 1990s, and he still shares a good rapport with many in the central leadership, including party veteran LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj.
His son, a former cricketer, was said to be brought into politics by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley.
Thakur was first elected for Lok Sabha from Hamirpur in a by-election in 2008. By now a three-time MP, the 40-year-old has made his mark.
In the 15th Lok Sabha, Thakur has served on two parliamentary committees -- one on transport, tourism and culture and the other a consultative committee on power.
He is also a joint secretary of the Board of Cricket Council in India, a post he has been holding since 2000.
Said to be groomed as a replacement for Varun Gandhi, he was retained in BJP president Amit Shah's new team as a party spokesperson and the chief of its youth wing. Varun Gandhi was dropped as the party general secretary in that reshuffle, conducted in August.
A ministerial berth for him could also be a reward for the party's superb performance in the state - winning all four of its Lok Sabha seats. Though the figure is small, PM Modi, who became the party's state in-charge in 1993, had said during his election campaign that Himachal Pradesh was close to his heart.
Thakur's father, Mr Dhumal has also been a personal friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 1990s, and he still shares a good rapport with many in the central leadership, including party veteran LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj.
His son, a former cricketer, was said to be brought into politics by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley.
Thakur was first elected for Lok Sabha from Hamirpur in a by-election in 2008. By now a three-time MP, the 40-year-old has made his mark.
In the 15th Lok Sabha, Thakur has served on two parliamentary committees -- one on transport, tourism and culture and the other a consultative committee on power.
He is also a joint secretary of the Board of Cricket Council in India, a post he has been holding since 2000.
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