Haryana Assembly polls: BJP to release list of over 50 candidates soon, names finalised

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The BJP has finalised the names of more than 50 candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls at its Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting held here on Thursday, party sources said. The BJP CEC meeting, chaired by party president J.P. Nadda, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, party’s Haryana election in charge and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh and other senior party leaders. According to sources, the names finalised on Thursday evening would be announced within the next 48 hours. The party sources said that after the CEC meeting, Prime Minister Modi held a separate meeting with Home Minister Shah and party chief Nadda, during which the party leaders discussed probable electoral alliances in the Assembly polls. Also, discussions were held on seats from where the party’s key leaders, including Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and other state ministers, would contest the election, they added. The sources said that Chief Minister Saini may contest from Kurukshetra’s Ladwa assembly seat instead of Karnal. The BJP’s talks with RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary and Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) chief Gopal Kanda regarding an electoral alliance in Haryana are in the final stages and if they form an alliance, then the BJP would field its candidates on 85-87 seats out the total 90 seats. The CEC meeting was also attended by BJP Haryana election co-in-charge and former Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb, Haryana Chief Minister Saini, Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli, Satish Punia, Surendra Singh Nagar, Union Minister and former CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister and MP from Haryana Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar. The Assembly elections to elect all 90 members of the Haryana Legislative Assembly are scheduled to be held on October 1 while the results will be announced on October 4. —