NEW DELHI: The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will meet on Sunday to take up the much delayed decision on the list of candidates for the Rajasthan Assembly elections, party officials privy to the matter, said on Friday. This will leave candidates just eight days to file their nominations for each seat.
“The BJP CEC will meet on Sunday at the party headquarters. It will take up for consideration the list of candidates for Rajasthan,” said a senior functionary of the party.The committee was slated to take up the decision in its November 1 meeting, said the official, adding that it was delayed because of differences between party chief Amit Shah and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
Union Minister of state for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who is considered to be Shah’s ‘point person’ for the state, is learnt to have met senior party leaders to share feedback from local workers in the state about its sitting legislators, which Shah is reportedly using to assess each name.
“There is a clear stand off between Shah and Raje over ticket distribution. The BJP chief is armed with assessment reports for each of the Assembly seats in the state, and favours dropping a large number of MLAs to beat the anti-incumbency against them. Raje, on the other hand, wants to back trusted legislators,” said a BJP leader privy to the party’s affairs in Rajasthan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely attend Sunday’s meet to clear the way for the list, said another party functionary. The last date of filing nomination papers for the 200-seat Rajasthan Assembly is November 19, while the state will go to the polls on December 7.
Shah’s point person
Union MoS for Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who is considered to be Shah’s ‘point person’ for the state, is learnt to have met senior party leaders to share feedback from local workers on the state’s MLAs