NEW DELHI: The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the BJP on Thursday deliberated on the strategy and selection of candidates for assembly elections in the opposition-ruled West Bengal and Kerala. The meeting, held at the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah and party national president Nitin Nabin, among others.
According to BJP sources, the meeting reportedly finalised candidates for 140–145 seats for the Bengal polls. The discussions included constituency-wise reviews, feedback from state leaders and organisational inputs collected over several months. “We have a solid people-centric strategy for Bengal and Kerala, as the people want a change. We fight elections in any state for the people and their development,” said a senior member of CEC.
The CEC discussed 155–160 seats in Bengal, and around 100 seats in Kerala were reportedly discussed. The candidates finalised for 145–150 seats in Bengal are expected to be announced soon after the Election Commission declares the poll schedule, likely after March 16–17.
“For the 294-member Bengal assembly, the BJP has decided to announce candidates first for the seats which the party lost by a small margin last time and also in constituencies with more minority voters. This will give candidates ample time for electioneering and consolidating their positions,” said a party leader.
Sources said the party leadership may not prefer to drop MLAs who have maintained strong organisational presence and voter outreach in their constituencies. “The PM emphasised that the winnability factor should remain the primary consideration, along with the candidate’s connection with the people and grassroots presence,” the party leader said.
Sources said the CEC also finalised candidates for nearly 100 constituencies in Kerala. BJP strategists expressed confidence that with a carefully selected candidate list, targeted campaigning and grassroots mobilisation, the party aims to expand its electoral base in Kerala.