Shimla:  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Himachal Pradesh.

 Suresh Kashyap, the current MP from Shimla, and Anurag Singh Thakur, the sitting MP from Hamirpur and Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs, and Sports, have been named as the party's contenders.

BJP has cleared the air over Anurag Thakur as there were speculations that he might be tipped for Chandigarh, as speculated in the media.

BJP has yet to clear two candidates for Mandi and Kangra in which names of Jal Ram Thakur, former CM, Ajay  Rana and Bollywood actress Kangna Ranaut are doing the rounds from Mandi. 

Suresh Kashyap, a former Air Force officer, began his political journey as a member of the BJP. He has represented the Pachhad constituency twice in the state assembly before being elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019.

Anurag Thakur, known for his passion for sports, has held various positions in cricket administration, including the presidency of the BCCI and HP Cricket Association.

The announcement was met with best wishes from BJP state leaders including Dr. Rajeev Bindal, Jairam Thakur, Saudhan Singh, Avinash Rai Khanna, Shrikant Sharma, and Sanjay Tandon.

Thakur, in particular, has been honored with several awards, including the Sansad Ratna Award in 2019, the Champions of Change Award in 2019, and recognition as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and Global Fund.