Speculation over Adhikari as candidate for CM

Speculations are rife over Suvendu Adhikary, who recently joined the BJP, becoming the BJP's candidate for Chief Minister in West Bengal. The central election committee of the BJP met at party president JP Nadda's residence on Thursday to finalise its first list of candidates for five assembly polls.

New Delhi: To finalise its first list of candidates for five assembly polls, the central election committee of the BJP has begun a meeting at party president JP Nadda's residence in New Delhi on Thursday. Meanwhile, speculations are rife over Suvendu Adhikary, who recently joined BJP, projecting him as BJP's CM candidate in West Bengal.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah including senior leaders from the state, party in-charge and co-in-charge for West Bengal and Assam have also attended the meeting.

According to sources, the core committee of the West Bengal party unit shortlisted the names of the probable candidates recommended by district units but the list of probable names for the state will not be ready in this meeting.

Sources said that the candidates' names will be further shortlisted after the party's rally on March 7. After this, the party will submit the names to the BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC) which will select the candidates for the West Bengal polls.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state party chief Ranjeet Kumar Das will be part of deliberations for their state to discuss the names of candidates for Assam.

The BJP has high stakes in West Bengal and Assam. While in Bengal, it has mounted an aggressive all-out campaign, deploying a number of leaders drawn from various states and considered adept in poll campaigning, to end the 10-year-old reign of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

In Assam, where the party came to power for the first time in 2016, the BJP has been pulling out all the stops to retain power, with the Congress joining hands with regional parties to capture its old bastion.

Elections in Assam will be conducted in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6, while polling in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will take place in a single phase on April 6.

Elections for the West Bengal assembly will be held in eight phases, up from seven last time, beginning with polling for 30 seats on March 27.

With inputs from PTI