The state BJP failed to come to consensus on the issue of ticket allotment in its Delhi meeting. Another round of meeting is scheduled on September 28. Senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Shanta Kumar, Kalraj Mishra, JP Nadda. Shyam Jaju and Satpal Singh Satti, attended the meeting, however Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur did not attend the meeting.

The core group of the BJP met earlier in the morning and later Shanta and Dhumal too discussed the issue before the State Election Committee. The SEC discussed names of prospective candidates from all 68 segments with inputs from the survey conducted by the party. It is reliably learned that the committee has finalised names of two candidates each in 33 segments, three names in 20 constituencies and over four in the remaining 15 seats.

Dhumal’s name figures in the panel both from Hamirpur and Sujanpur. However, his younger son Arun Dhumal’s name also figures in the panel from Sujanpur, where from Urmil Thakur and Rajinder Rana have also been shortlisted. IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi name figures from Dehra, Jwalamukhi, Palampur and Sulah and Rajeev Bindal name figures from Nahan segment only.

Candidature of associate members MLAs Rakesh Pathania, Rakesh Verma, Hira Lal and Sanjay Chaudhary also been discussed and national party Chief Nitin Gadkari will take call on them.