The BJP has is likely to announce its first phase of candidates on Thursday when the Central Election Committee meets for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections.
The committee will also decide on candidates for the four other assembly polls. For the eight-phased Bengal election, the saffron brigade will declare names in several rounds.
It was reported earlier that the BJP was planning to reveal the first phase of candidates before Narendra Modi’s rally the Brigade parade ground in Kolkata.
A latest report by Bengali portal The Wall has revealed that the party could name the candidates on Thursday night or Friday morning.
However, it isn’t clear how many candidates would be announced at the first go. The TMC is likely to name its candidates on Wednesday for the first phase of polls and for the second on Friday.
The opening phase of this year’s overhyped Bengal election would take place on March 27. Its notification has been issued on Tuesday and a candidate can file the nomination beginning from Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Bengal BJP had sent a list of 150 probable candidates for the first few rounds of the state assembly election to the party’s central leadership in New Delhi. Reportedly, three to six names have been nominated for each of the seats.
The names of 15 Bengal BJP leaders who are portfolio holders in the party were proposed. A former TMC MP and a current one, who defected from Mamata Banerjee’s party, were also mentioned.
The BJP also tried to create a balance between party’s old-timers and the new faces, to neutralize the rift between the two camps that has escalated over time.
There were also few who had earlier contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Much importance has been given to the BJP Mahila Morcha and the Yuva Morcha leaders as well.
Reportedly, in the list sent to New Delhi, there were names of at least 12 celebrities from the Bengali film industry. A string of personalities from Tollywood recently joined the BJP. Bengal cricketer Ashoke Dinda is also there on the list.