Delhi Polls: BJP To Release Candidates List Today

The much-awaited list of candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Delhi assembly polls will be released on Friday.

Unlike the elections for corporations two years agowhere the party had replaced all the sitting councilors, BJP will give a chanceto those who had contested Assembly elections in 2015.

BJP party's central election committee headed by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi took the decision on the candidates on Thursday.

Accordingto the highly placed sources in the party, a sizeable number of thosecandidates who contested polls earlier in 2015 will be given a chance.

According to a senior party leader, almost 40 percent will get a chance again. These are party workers who have been working for years. The 2015 elections were different.

Thistime also, no one who is 75 years of age and above will be given a ticket, theleader said.

The leader also added that the names discussed in theCEC have come after due deliberations among the party post holders at thedistrict level and on the findings of the surveys commissioned.

The sources also stated that councilors will be in fora surprise as they too have been 'sufficiently' accommodated.

In 2017, the BJP after losing assembly elections inthe national capital decided to go with the fresh faces to beat anti-incumbencyin three corporations. The strategy yielded results as it came back to powerand maintained a hold over the corporations.

"The list that will be released in the evening will be a mix of old contestants and councilors. No Member of Parliament would be contesting," added the sources.

The marathon meeting that went on for almost fourhours also delved on campaign strategy to counter the AAP and the Congress.

While AAP has declared candidates for all 70 assemblyseats, Congress is likely to announce the list of its candidates soon.

The process of nominations will end on January 21 andpolling will take place on February 8. The counting of votes will take place onFebruary 11.