BJP CEC To Meet Today To Finalise Remaining Lok Sabha Candidates, NDA Allies Likely To Attend

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies are scheduled to meet on Monday to decide the names of Lok Sabha candidates for rest of the seats. The meeting collides with Congress Central Election Committee’s (CEC) meeting slated to be held the same day. Zee News TV sources said that the meeting may lead to the finalisation of candidates for additional Lok Sabha seats. Notably, the gathering will include representatives from other parties in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Bihar. These allies are expected to engage in discussions with the party's leadership regarding seat-sharing arrangements.  

Earlier, on Sunday, four members of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and one from the Congress officially became part of the BJP, joining in the presence of the party's general secretary, Tarun Chugh, in Delhi. Among the new additions were former Members of Parliament Godam Nagesh and Sitaram Naik, along with former Members of the Legislative Assembly Saidhi Reddy and Jalagam Venkat Rao.  

On March 2, the BJP announced its first list of 195 candidates for the imminent Lok Sabha elections, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the lead as he vies for a third consecutive term in the Lower House from his Varanasi constituency. Among the 195 candidates, 34 hold ministerial positions at the central and state levels, and two are former chief ministers included in the lineup. In the 2019 elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a total of 303 seats, while the opposing party trailed with 52 seats. The Lok Sabha polls are anticipated to take place between April and May this year.