BJP delays list, many sitting MPs may be out

New Delhi: The wait for the BJP’s list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls persisted as the third meeting of the party's central election committee continued on Wednesday without any formal announcement of ticket nominees.

Sources stated that the finalisation of candidates was taking longer than expected as the party could effect major changes in the ticket distribution denying many sitting MPs a chance to contest on BJP tickets. They pointed out that the indication regarding major changes came as the party has already decided to deny tickets to all 10 sitting MPs from Chhattisgarh. The BJP, which faced a severe drubbing in the recent Chhattisgarh assembly polls,  decided to drop all its 10 sitting MPs from the state.

The BJP's central election committee (CEC) met at the party headquarters in the capital as part of its deliberations to finalise candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. Today's meeting came after two such meets by the party's CEC on March 16 and 19 which also ended without the release of the much awaited list of candidates. This is the third meeting of the CEC, BJP's highest decision making body, on selection of candidates.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.