The names of PM Modi, Amit Shah are likely to be there on the first candidate list of the BJP.
New Delhi:
The BJP is expected to release the first list of candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections this evening, sources said. The list that is said to be announced at a BJP press conference at 6 pm comes days after back-to-back late-night meetings in Delhi. The BJP may also announce new allies in the National Democratic Alliance or NDA, they said.
The BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) met on Thursday night as its members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who chaired the meeting, held deliberations to finalise the first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls expected to be held in April-May. The ruling party is looking to name its candidates for the Lok Sabha seats before the Election Commission’s poll schedule announcement. The meeting was attended by leaders from various states – Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Gujarat’s Bhupendra Patel, Madhya Pradesh’s Mohan Yadav, Chhattisgarh’s Vishnu Deo Sai, Uttarakhand’s Pushkar Singh Dhami and Goa’s Pramod Sawant. State leaders usually attend the CEC meeting when candidates for constituencies in their states are discussed.
Earlier, the sources told NDTV that the BJP may announce more than 100 names that will include heavyweights such as PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The BJP, the sources claim, intends to name most of its candidates well before poll dates are announced to ramp up pressure on its rival, the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which is still facing roadblocks in seat-sharing deals in many states.
As per the sources, the BJP is likely to follow its template of recent assembly polls and announce a large number of seats in the first list where it needs to improve its prospects.
The BJP’s candidate lists often give a chance to new faces and this time around also eyes will be on whether it drops some well-known names or does some fresh experiment in selecting its nominees. This holds significance as two BJP MPs – Jayant Sinha and Gautam Gambhir – requested BJP president JP Nadda today to relieve them so that they can focus on their other commitments.
