NEW DELHI: Anxiety among sitting BJP MPs as well as those aspiring for tickets surged on Wednesday, the eve of the party’s first central election committee meeting. Home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda held marathon deliberations with leaders from over 14 states and UTs amid speculation that a substantial number of incumbents could be benched.Two-termers are considered to be particularly vulnerable, with the party keen to ward off the risk of ‘local incumbency’ hindering its plans to leverage PM Modi’s popularity to score its biggest LS win.
The number of state units called for deliberations has reinforced the indication that the leadership, taking up from where it left off in the latest state polls, may announce its first list soon. Party circles were abuzz that the list, likely to be announced a day after the CEC meeting in which Modi, other parliamentary board members and senior state leaders will be present, may have as many as 200 candidates. BJP recently held ‘informal’ meetings with leaders from UP and other states. Besides, central office-bearers have completed the review of states the party expects decent pickings from.
BJP likely to field Shivraj, Scindia for LS elections
The review, an exercise comprising on-the-spot assessment, feedback from local units and findings of surveys commissioned by the party, involved weighing the prospects of winners from last round against strengths of potential replacements.
Core group members from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Goa, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu had brainstorming sessions with Shah, Nadda and general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh.
Sources said former MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was present in the meeting to review probables for his state, is among the likely candidates from a prominent seat. Besides, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and senior party member Kailash Vijayvargiya could also be fielded.
Sources said election committee of Delhi BJP has submitted a list of 25-30 probables to the national leadership for the seven seats in the capital.
The names of foreign minister S Jaishankar, housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri and late leader Sushma Swaraj’s daughter Bansuri were among the probables for the New Delhi seat apart from sitting MP Meenakshi Lekhi, a senior Delhi BJP official said. “The list of probables was discussed in a meeting of national leaders, including Nadda, Shah and state president Virendra Sachdeva, at the party headquarters,” he said.
Except for East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir and North West Delhi MP Han Raj Hans, the remaining five – Ramesh Bidhuri (South Delhi), Lekhi (New Delhi), Harsh Vardhan (Chandni Chowk), Manoj Tiwari (North East Delhi) and Parvesh Verma (West Delhi) – are representing their constituencies for the second time in a row.
The number of state units called for deliberations has reinforced the indication that the leadership, taking up from where it left off in the latest state polls, may announce its first list soon. Party circles were abuzz that the list, likely to be announced a day after the CEC meeting in which Modi, other parliamentary board members and senior state leaders will be present, may have as many as 200 candidates. BJP recently held ‘informal’ meetings with leaders from UP and other states. Besides, central office-bearers have completed the review of states the party expects decent pickings from.
BJP likely to field Shivraj, Scindia for LS elections
The review, an exercise comprising on-the-spot assessment, feedback from local units and findings of surveys commissioned by the party, involved weighing the prospects of winners from last round against strengths of potential replacements.
Core group members from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Goa, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu had brainstorming sessions with Shah, Nadda and general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh.
Sources said former MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was present in the meeting to review probables for his state, is among the likely candidates from a prominent seat. Besides, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and senior party member Kailash Vijayvargiya could also be fielded.
Sources said election committee of Delhi BJP has submitted a list of 25-30 probables to the national leadership for the seven seats in the capital.
The names of foreign minister S Jaishankar, housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri and late leader Sushma Swaraj’s daughter Bansuri were among the probables for the New Delhi seat apart from sitting MP Meenakshi Lekhi, a senior Delhi BJP official said. “The list of probables was discussed in a meeting of national leaders, including Nadda, Shah and state president Virendra Sachdeva, at the party headquarters,” he said.
Except for East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir and North West Delhi MP Han Raj Hans, the remaining five – Ramesh Bidhuri (South Delhi), Lekhi (New Delhi), Harsh Vardhan (Chandni Chowk), Manoj Tiwari (North East Delhi) and Parvesh Verma (West Delhi) – are representing their constituencies for the second time in a row.
Source Agencies
