PM Modi chairs BJP huddle to finalise Lok Sabha poll candidates

New Delhi: To prepare its first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, the Central Election Committee of the BJP, the party’s highest election authority, met at the party headquarters in Delhi on Thursday. PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president J P Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were among those who met to deliberate on the lists. CMs of some key states were also present. A list of the candidates is expected soon.

While there is no confirmation from the party, names that have been doing the rounds are actors Akshay Kumar and Kangana Ranaut, as well as Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of former BJP veteran Sushma Swaraj. Key names such as PM Modi, Shah, Rajnath, Anurag Thakur and (Smriti Irani are expected to be named in the first list of over 100-150 candidates.

The party’s central leadership has been holding a series of meetings in the last few days. On Wednesday, Nadda and others met with state leaders and office-bearers from Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

On Saturday, Nadda held a meeting of election in-charges of all states.

On Friday, the party has slated three meetings with the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs. States have been divided into three sets, and MPs have been asked to keep their Namo Apps open.

CMs Yogi Adityanath, Vishnu Deo Sai and Bhupendra Patel were prese