Hyderabad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has started its formal candidate selection process for the Assembly elections in Telangana and called for applications from ticket aspirants.
“We will accept applications at the party’s state headquarters from September 4 to September 10,” said party state general secretary G. Premender Reddy here on Friday.
The week-long application window and the time required to vet the applications and prepare shortlists means that the BJP is unlikely to announce its candidates before the end of September. According to party sources, it is in no hurry to declare its list and expose its candidates to a nearly three-month long campaign run, which could drain them and the party’s resources out.
Unlike the Congress, which collected a non-refundable fee of '50,000 from applicants ('25,000 for SC and ST aspirants), the BJP will not collect any fee, he said.
“The BJP is a party of the common people. There will be no fee. Applicants can submit their requests for party tickets even on a plain paper, although we will be giving them a form to fill,” Reddy said.
The party will also have a help desk manned by three to four senior leaders and former legislators to guide the applicants and answer any questions they may have, according to party general secretary Bangaru Sruthi.
Once the September 10 deadline ends, the party will evaluate them and is expected to short list potential candidates before the end of the month. This list will then be vetted by the national leadership, which will finalise the candidates and announce their names.
