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In a surprising political development, Anurag Thakur, the five-time MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh and former minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s NDA-2 government, has been excluded from the union cabinet this time around. Instead, BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda has been included, reportedly due to an adverse internal report that has generated considerable buzz in the political circles of Himachal Pradesh.
Son of two-term former Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Anurag held the portfolios of Sports, Youth Affairs and Information and Broadcasting in the NDA-2 government and was widely expected to retain his ministerial position. However, sources within the BJP suggest that an alleged unfavourable internal report influenced the decision to replace him with JP Nadda from the Himachal quota.
Being a small state with only four Lok Sabha seats, Himachal was to get only one ministerial berth.
The exclusion of Anurag is seen as a significant blow to the former minister and his father Prem Kumar Dhumal, the former CM who too has been left in political wilderness since his defeat in Assembly elections in 2017.
The roots of the current turmoil are said to trace back to 2010 when Nadda resigned as the state’s Forest Minister following a fallout with Dhumal. This historical friction seems to have resurfaced, impacting Anurag’s prospects. The BJP’s decision, influenced by Nadda’s standing, has sidelined Anurag, creating a ripple effect within the party and its supporters.
A critical factor contributing to Anurag’s exclusion is the internal report linking him to the BJP’s recent by-election defeats in the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, particularly in Sujanpur, Kutlehar and Gagret.
Party insiders point fingers at the Dhumal family for these losses, especially highlighting Prem Kumar Dhumal’s defeat by Congress rebel Rajinder Rana in Sujanpur in 2017. In a twist, the BJP had fielded Rana in the latest by-election, where he was defeated by Congress’ Captain Ranjit Singh Rana (retd), a known Dhumal ally.
Similarly, in Kutlehar, BJP’s candidate Devinder Kumar Bhutto, also a former Congress rebel, lost, casting doubts on the electoral strategies influenced by the Dhumal-Anurag faction. These defeats have placed the political future of Dhumal loyalists, such as former minister Virendra Kanwar, in jeopardy, intensifying scrutiny on the Dhumal family. The internal report underscores the factionalism within the Himachal BJP and highlights the intricate power dynamics at play.
