BJP likely to announce candidates for Punjab, Goa today

BJP’s Central Election Committee met on Wednesday night to finalise party candidates for Punjab and Goa assembly elections and is likely to announce their names today. Top party brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, took part in the exercise for the two states going to the polls in single-phase on February 4.

BJP will field it’s candidates in 23 seats in Punjab with its senior partner Shiromani Akali Dal expected to contest remainder of the total 117 seats. In 40-member Goa assembly seats, BJP will fight most of the seats while a few may be left for some ally.

Sources said after the meeting that more consultation was required for a few seats, delaying the announcement of the names of the party nominees for these two states. The CEC is likely to meet again on January 15 to name candidates for crucial UP polls. Assembly elections in the politically-crucial Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be held between February 4 and March 8. Counting of votes will be taken up together in all the states on March 11.

In Uttar Pradesh, which has a 403-member House, polls will be held on February 11 (73 constituencies), February 15 (67 constituencies), February 19 (69), February 23 (53), February 27 (52), March 3 (49) and March 8 (40). Unlike last elections, Manipur, which recently witnessed violence raising questions whether elections would be possible now, will have a two-day polling on March 4 (38 seats) and March 8 (22 seats).

Polling will be held in Punjab and Goa together on February 4 and in Uttarakhand it will be held on February 15.