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 a 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, 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 staes – 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 The Hindkesharithat 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 karge number of the seats in the first list where it needs to improve its prospects.