The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may declare its new Himachal Pradesh president in January, the party's incumbent state president Satpal Satti said.
BJP's national general secretaries Muralidhar Rao and Sunil V. Deodhar held a meeting on Wednesday with the 11-member core committee to take their feedback before selecting the state leader, he said.
The core committee members include chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, former CMs Shanta Kumar, Prem Kumar Dhumal, state BJP chief Satpal Satti, health minister Vipin Parmar, state organising general secretary Pawan Rana, BJP's state chief spokesperson Randhir Sharma and Mandi MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.
The national observers held a closed-door meeting with all core committee members except Shanta Kumar, who gave his feedback telephonically, he added.
Satti said the two national observers would submit a report to BJP national president Amit Shah and its working president Jagat Prakash Nadda.
Subsequently the party high command will declare a new state chief on the basis of their report, he said.
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According to sources, those in the race for the BJP chief for Himachal Pradesh include the state chief minister's political advisor and BJP's state secretary Trilok Jamwal, state BJP's chief spokesperson Randhir Sharma and state BJP vice president and chairman of Kangra cooperative bank Rajiv Bhardwaj.
Satti, however, added that the announcement for the new state chief may be delayed due to the proposed public rally in Shimla on December 27 to mark the second anniversary of formation of the state government.
The new state president may be declared in January, he added.
Elections for the BJP state president's post are held after three years. BJP state president Satpal Satti is not in the race as he has been on this post for the last nine years.