Sensing the pulse of the people, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday declared former BJP chief minister and a popular leader, Prem Kumar Dhumal as its leader and Chief Ministerial candidate for 2017 Assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh.

BJP president, Amit Shah made this announcement at a public rally in Rajgarh in Sirmaur district and said Dhumal will become the CM of HP for the third time after poll results on 18 December.

The state is going to polls on 9 November and the BJP high command, although belatedly, has virtually been forced to change its ‘poll strategy’ (of not declaring its CM face) in HP keeping with ground situation. The Congress had declared six time Chief Minister as its CM face on 7 October at Congress Vice President, Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Mandi.

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“Virbhadra Singh asked in whose leadership the BJP is contesting. I want to tell you, the BJP is led by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in the country. In HP, the party’s face is Dhumal. He has been the CM twice in HP and is right now the Leader of Opposition. He would become the CM again after 18 December, 2017,” said Shah at the rally.

The crowds suddenly went cheerful in the BJP rally as soon as Shah declared Dhumal’s name.

The BJP men across the state have welcomed it as there was much pressure in the party to declare Dhumal as BJP’s CM face vis a vis Congress CM, Virbhadra Singh.

“It is a good decision. The BJP will definitely get advantage by declaring Prem Kumar Dhumal as its leader in HP as Dhumal is a popular leader,” state BJP leader, Satpal Singh Satti told The Statesman.

BJP insiders said the BJP men were virtually confused in the absence of a leader in the polls – although the high command, all these days, tried to push through with ‘Modi face’ as in other states. Sources said as talks were doing round that Union minister, JP Nadda and a dark horse from RSS, Ajay Jamwal were also in the race along with Dhumal—the party men in the state were unable to convince the people on leadership issue after the declaration of polls.

The Congress too had made it as a major poll issue against the BJP, calling it a ‘baraat’ without ‘dulha’.

Dhumal is from Hamirpur district and is four-time MLA in a row.

He became BJP CM in 1998 and 2007 and is known for his common appeal among people.