Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday, 7 April, that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was working out a plan to replace Jai Ram Thakur as the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh with Union Minister Anurag Thakur ahead of the state's Assembly election.
Sisodia alleged that the party was thinking of making such a change as they were afraid of the growing popularity of the Arvind-Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), PTI reported.
He also added that the state's residents were disappointed with the Jai Ram Thakur government, which had "completely failed". Hence, Sisodia said, the people want to vote the AAP to power in the upcoming polls.
Sisodia added, "Changing faces ahead of elections will not help the BJP hide the failures of its government in the state."
CM Jai Ram Thakur Rejects Claim
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh CM Jai Ram Thakur rejected the claim made by Sisodia. "I dismiss his claims," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The AAP had announced on 20 September last year that it would contest in all the 68 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, which are scheduled to take place in November this year.
The AAP had also announced its decision to fight in all the seats in the Gujarat Assembly election, due in December 2022.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)
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