Shah made the announcement at a public meeting, putting to rest speculation over the party's choice for the top post.
"The BJP is going to fight the Himachal Pradesh assembly polls under the leadership of Prem Kumar Dhumal...Dhumal is currently a former CM but after December 18, he will be the new chief minister of the state," Shah said.
The assembly poll is scheduled on November 9 and results will be declared on December 18.
Union minister J P Nadda was seen as one of the contenders but Dhumal's mass connect in the hill state seems to have tipped the scale in his favour.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content