New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is yet to decide if it will field its stalwarts such as Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi in these Lok Sabha elections and if it does, whether to field them from the constituencies they contested the last time.
Highly placed sources in the BJP told ThePrint that the party has left it to the senior leaders — those who have crossed 75 years of age — to decide on whether they want to contest the elections.
Party president Amit Shah, however, has already met Advani, Joshi and outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to know if they wish to contest the polls. While there is no clarity on the outcome of the meetings, sources in the BJP said the party is likely to fulfil their desires if they want to contest.
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Veterans leave it to party
While the BJP has reached out to its stalwarts, the veterans ThePrint spoke to said they have left it to the party to decide and will abide by the decision.
“I will go by the decision that the party takes for me,” said a senior leader who is 75.
“Amit Shah had met them and they had told him that they will contest polls but only if the party desires so,” said another senior party leader.
The BJP is set to finalise a majority of its candidates to be fielded in the Lok Sabha polls in its Central Election Committee meetings scheduled to be held on March 16, 18, 22.
Gearing up to finalise candidates
Over the past few days, the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, the leaders of opposition in states where the party is in a minority and state unit chiefs have visited the BJP headquarters in New Delhi to hold detailed consultations with their respective state in-charges for the finalisation of names.
The BJP is confident that its candidates will perform well even though their nominations have been delayed. Several other parties such as the Congress, BSP, Trinamool Congress and SP have already begun announcing their candidates while the saffron outfit awaits name finalisation.
According to a senior party leader, the party will conclude the process by 22 March.
“The first list will have 100-150 names,” the leader said. “Already discussions have happened on the lists of various states. For those going to polls in the last three phases, the party will come out with a list on 22 March.”
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