BJP's Poll Body To Meet Today, Likely To Discuss Lok Sabha Candidates

Seeking to stay a step ahead of its rivals ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's Central Election Committee will hold a meeting at its headquarters in the national capital on Monday evening.

Candidates for some more Lok Sabha seats are likely to be finalised at the meeting, according to party sources.

The meeting will also be attended by the BJP's partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Bihar, top sources informed, adding that the allies are likely to discuss seat-sharing with the party's top leadership.

Earlier, on Sunday, four leaders from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and one from the Congress joined the BJP in the presence of the party's general secretary Tarun Chugh in New Delhi.

The four BRS turncoats were former MPs Godam Nagesh and Sitaram Naik, as well as former MLAs Saidhi Reddy and Jalagam Venkat Rao.

On March 2, the BJP released its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, topped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will seek his third straight term in Lower House from Varanasi.

Of the 195 candidates, 34 are ministers from the Center and States, while two are former chief ministers who are in the list.

In 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic (NDA) won a total of 303 seats, leaving the grand-old party behind at 52 seats.

The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held sometime between April and May this year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)