BJP's Second Candidate List Stands Delayed Due To Seat Negotiations, May Include High Profile Nominations Like Gadkari, Sitharaman

Amid speculation regarding the inclusion of certain Rajya Sabha MPs who also hold union cabinet positions, there might be a delay of one or two days in the release of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s second list of candidates.

This follows the scheduling of the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting for Sunday (10 March).

Growing anticipation suggests the party may nominate some union ministers, such as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, from various high-profile urban-dominated Lok Sabha seats, as per a report by The New Indian Express.

Their names are expected to be announced in the second list of candidates after approval from the CEC.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, JP Nadda, and other core committee members, including chief ministers of BJP-ruled states will be present to deliberate and ultimately approve the second list of candidates for more than 150 Lok Sabha seats across various states, including Bihar, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

According to the same report, the delay in releasing the second list could be attributed to the delay in finalisng seat-sharing agreements with some regional constituent parties of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Punjab.

Nevertheless, the central leadership of the BJP is continuously engaging in meetings with leaders of these regional parties to reach an understanding of seat-sharing.

It is expected that the second list of Lok Sabha candidates will include prominent leaders, including union ministers like Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Ashwini Choubey, RK Singh, and Nityanand Rai.

“Candidates with a non-controversial background and a strong likelihood of winning would be shortlisted for the final panel to be presented at the CEC meeting on Sunday,” said a BJP leader.

The party has requested three names from every Lok Sabha constituency through the state units of the party from all states.

The CEC is likely to approve the names of candidates for more than 150 seats in various states, including Telangana and Tamil Nadu, on Sunday.

It is also learned that tickets for a majority of ministers from Bihar and other states, as well as sitting MPs, are likely to accommodate some new faces, ensuring proportional representation of women in ticket sharing.

“There is speculation about the inclusion of some names from the minority community as party nominees in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” said a party leader.