BJP’s Punjab list of 6 likely today

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 15

The BJP’s central election committee met today to finalise candidates for the first two phases of the Uttar Pradesh elections and for Uttarakhand. 

The BJP, which is in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal, will contest 23 seats in Punjab. It had won 12 seats in the 2012 Assembly elections. 

Having announced 17 candidates already, the party is expected to name candidates for the remaining six constituencies in Punjab tomorrow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah attended the meeting. Another central election committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. Shah has been holding deliberations with party leaders to narrow down differences over candidates and to evolve a consensus.

For the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly and the 70-member Uttarakhand House, the BJP is facing a flood of applications. 

Shah, who has pulled out all stops to ensure the party’s success in Uttar Pradesh, has tied up with two regional parties — the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) and the Apna Dal. 

Though these regional parties are demanding a larger share, the BJP is expected to allot them about 12 seats each. The Union Minister Anupriya Patel-headed Apna Dal is already an NDA ally. While the Apna Dal has influence over Kurmi voters, the SBSP enjoys a sizeable support among the OBCs in eastern and central UP.