Tonight, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Central Election Committee is set to convene at the party’s headquarters in Delhi. Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the committee is poised to engage in deliberations concerning the selection of remaining candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Following the release of the initial list comprising 195 candidates from 16 states on March 2, attention now turns to finalizing the roster for the electoral battle ahead. This meeting holds paramount importance as it sets the stage for the party’s electoral strategy and candidate selection process.
Reports from the news agency ANI indicate that in tonight’s meeting, leaders from key National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Bihar will engage in discussions regarding seat sharing arrangements with the BJP’s top brass.
In a significant development last week, the BJP forged alliances with the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena in Andhra Pradesh, consolidating its position in the region ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Notable figures featured in the initial candidate list include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, slated for re-election from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who will contest from Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
With ambitious targets set, the BJP aims to contest 370 seats in the upcoming polls, while allotting 400 seats to its allies within the NDA fold.
Anticipation looms as the Election Commission of India prepares to unveil the dates for the much-anticipated April-May Lok Sabha Elections later this week. Recall that in 2019, the Lok Sabha polls unfolded across seven phases from April 11 to May 19, culminating in the declaration of results on May 23, 2019, which witnessed a resounding victory for the BJP, securing 303 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, the Congress party, gearing up for the electoral contest, revealed its initial list of 39 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections on March 8. The list encompasses candidates from various states including Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshwadeep, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Telangana, and Tripura, reflecting the party’s nationwide electoral ambitions.
In parallel, Prime Minister Modi continues his extensive inauguration initiatives across the country in the lead-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Today, he is slated to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for 112 national highway projects valued at ₹1 lakh crore, underscoring the government’s steadfast commitment to infrastructure development. The event, set to take place in Gurugram, serves as a testament to the administration’s focus on catalyzing economic growth and enhancing connectivity nationwide.