The BJP Saturday announced that former Himachal Pradesh minister Jairam Thakur would be its candidate for the June 23 bypoll to the Mandi parliamentary seat.
BJP president Rajnath Singh had approved Thakur's name for the byelection, a party statement said.
Thakur was a minister in the Prem Kumar Dhumal government that was voted out of power in last December's assembly polls.
The Mandi seat had fallen vacant following the resignation of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh after he was elected to the state assembly.
The Congress is yet to declare its candidate for the seat.
