BJP's poll panel to soon finalise 70 picks; allies seek more seats

The central election committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president JP Nadda, is expected to meet soon to finalise candidates for all 70 seats in Delhi and negotiate seat-sharing arrangements with allies for the upcoming assembly elections, according to a senior party functionary.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has already announced all its candidates, while the Congress has released a list of 21 nominees for the elections, the schedule for which is yet to be announced.

The BJP functionary cited above said that the party has opted to not name a chief ministerial face ahead of the polls, and is gathering cadre feedback to finalise its candidates. The leader added the BJP may also allocate seats to its allies - the Janata Dal United (JDU) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).

Both alliance partners have shown interest in contesting the polls and have sought five seats each, according to a second functionary aware of the details.