BJP announces 4 more candidates for RS polls; no Muslim in list

After announcing the initial listing of 18 candidates on Sunday, the BJP released the list of four more candidates late on Monday evening, taking the total number of candidates nominated so far to 22.

New Delhi: With Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi not listed in the four fresh Rajya Sabha nominees announced by the BJP on Monday, the party has excluded Muslims from its nominations for the upcoming elections. After announcing the initial listing of 18 candidates on Sunday, the ruling party released the list of four more candidates late on Monday evening, taking the total number of candidates listed so far to 22. In the most recently released list, the BJP's OBC wing chief K Laxman has been fielded from Uttar Pradesh, Sumitra Valmiki from Madhya Pradesh, Lal Singh Sirhoya from Karnataka and Mithilesh Kumar from Uttar Pradesh.