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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is anticipated to finalize candidates for up to a third of the Lok Sabha seats during a meeting of its Central Election Committee in New Delhi today. The first list, including nominees for around 130 seats the party has never won, is expected to be released on Friday, just ahead of the announcement of the national election schedule.
BJP Set to Finalize Nominees for Lok Sabha Seats Today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the CEC meeting, with attendees such as Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. The initial list is likely to feature many seats from the South, and an early announcement is seen as a strategy to provide candidates approximately 50 days for campaigning.
There is speculation about Union ministers, who are members of Rajya Sabha, participating in the Lok Sabha polls. While Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar declined to comment, Pralhad Joshi suggested they could be candidates, leading to subsequent clarification that specific names were not mentioned.
Speculation regarding Union minister Piyush Goyal’s candidature arose after the World Trade Organisation chief mentioned his political engagement, but Goyal’s office stated that party decisions, not individuals, determine such matters.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan is expected to contest from Sambalpur or Dhenkanal in Odisha, while Bhupendra Yadav is anticipated to run from Haryana.
The BJP has adhered to the rule that no member will be given more than two terms, renominating only party chief JP Nadda, Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, L Murugan, and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi for Rajya Sabha. There is also a view that leaders winning Lok Sabha seats from easy constituencies for three terms should be replaced to encourage new talent.
