NEW DELHI: The Central Election Committee (CEC) of the BJP is likely to meet on Sunday to approve the candidates of the party for the Bihar Assembly elections.
With October 8 being the last day of the filing of the nomination papers for the first phase, the NDA is yet to officially unveil the seat adjustment plans even as the top leadership continues to brainstorm over the prospective candidates.
“The meeting will consider the names of the prospective candidates. The lists will be released in a gradual manner, closer to the dates of filing of the nomination papers for the three phase polls,” said a party functionary.
Chaired by BJP chief J P Nadda, the CEC meetings are also attended by PM Narendra Modi and other senior leaders.
With the Covid restrictions in place, it’s not immediately clear whether the PM will attend the meet.
“The BJP brass is taking a closer look at various categories of the constituencies, which are divided into A, B, C, D and E on the basis of the perceived strength of the parties and the poll performances,” he added.
Meanwhile, Nadda has authorized "three-four people" to intervene and defuse the crisis in the NDA in Bihar ahead of the Assembly polls, senior party leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in Patna on Friday.
Prasad, who represents Bihar's Patna Sahib constituency in the Lok Sabha, did not disclose whom the BJP chief has assigned that task, but asserted that everything will be settled amicably and the NDA will win a two-third majority in the Assembly polls.
Prasad was replying to questions from journalists here about the belligerent stance adopted by Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which seems adamant on contesting over 100 of the total 243 seats, and fielding candidates against the ruling JD(U) and a recent entrant in the coalition, the Hindustani Awam Morcha of ex-CM Jitan Ram Manjhi.
According to LJP leaders here, the party has convened a meeting of its parliamentary board for "final discussions on 143 candidates" which the party proposes to field, much to the chagrin of NDA constituents that have sought the BJPs intervention in the matter.
Opening a front against the JD(U) of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, LJP spokesman Ashraf Ansari also issued a statement saying, "The next government must implement our Bihar First Bihari First vision document (of Chirag Paswan). We do not accept the saat nishchay (seven resolves of Nitish Kumar)".
The turmoil within the NDA has caused the grouping to lose much of its surefootedness though the ruling coalition seems assured of an electoral victory with its main challenger, the RJD-helmed Grand Alliance, doddering under the weight of internal contradictions.
Founded and headed by jailed Lalu Prasad, the RJD is engaged in a tussle with its principal ally, the Congress, on the twin issues of how many seats which constituent should get and Tejashwi Yadav's projection as the face of the opposition coalition.
The Grand Alliance, which comprised five parties till a few months ago, has in the recent past lost Manjhi to the NDA while RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha has formed a parallel front with Mayawati's BSP.
Moreover, its plans to forge an alliance with the Left parties also seem to have run into rough weather with the CPI (ML), which has the strongest presence in Bihar among all communist parties, coming out with a list of 30 seats it proposes to contest and accusing the RJD of making an offer that was not respectable".
The notification for the first of the three phases of Assembly polls was issued on Thursday and the filing of nominations for it comes to a close on October 8.
(With PTI Inputs)