New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi is chairing the BJP CEC meeting to finalise names of assembly candidates as Karnataka goes to polls next month. The BJP Central Election Committee met here on Sunday to finalise the party's candidates for the Karnataka assembly polls scheduled for May 10.
Prime Minister Modi and Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and other members of the CEC were joined by senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, as they deliberated on the names of probable candidates. Senior party leaders have been holding talks for a couple of days to winnow down the list of probables before the CEC takes a final call. The BJP, which aims to come back to power again in the southern state, has set a target of winning at least 150 of the 224 seats. The party's main rival is the Congress which has also expressed confidence about coming back to power in the state.
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As per sources, there could be major changes in the list as per the latest political scenario in the state. The list for maximum seats could be out on Monday. Earlier on Saturday, Shah held a meeting at Nadda's residence in the national capital to discuss and finalise the list of candidates for the May 10 poll.
Karnataka BJP president Nalinkumar Kateel, former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and other leaders were also present at Nadda's residence. Party sources said the core group of the BJP in Karnataka have shortlisted three names for each Assembly seat, which will be placed before the Central Election Committee. The party's central leadership will brainstorm these names before locking the candidates.
On April 4, the BJP's core group in Karnataka drew up a shortlist of candidates in a meeting with the party's national general secretary Arun Singh, state election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, co-in-charge Mansukh Mandaviya, Central Election Committee member Annamalai, former chief minister Yediyurappa and his successor and incumbent Basavaraj Bommai. (Agency inputs)
