(LiveMint)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has given tickets to 21 new faces in the upcoming Himachal Pradesh elections, accommodating young candidates and first-timers for a direct contest with the ruling Congress. There are 14 first-timers in the list of 21, including Anil Sharma, whose father, former Union minister Sukh Ram quit the Congress recently to join the BJP.
“We do not want a generation gap in the party and want a good working relationship between the youth and the elder leaders. You will see BJP gives chances to young, educated people to come forward and work for the state. This is also an opportunity for us to promote our state cadre by fielding them in the Himachal elections,” said Satpal Singh Satti, BJP state president.Senior BJP leaders said the party had selected the candidates on the basis of their ability to win elections, while keeping a mix of youth and experience in the list.
