Bengal BJP leaders reach Delhi to finalise party candidates

New Delhi, March 3 : The BJP leadership in West Bengal, which is fighting a high octane Assembly polls to topple the Mamata Banerjee-led government in the eastern state, reached the national capital on Wednesday evening to finalise the party candidates for the ensuing elections.
BJP national General Secretary and West Bengal in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya, national Vice President Mukul Roy, state unit chief Dilip Ghosh and other members of the core committee for West Bengal reached Delhi to discuss the names they have shortlisted with BJP chief J.P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah before the list is placed before the Central Election Committee (CEC) for selection of party nominees.
The BJP CEC meet is scheduled on Thursday to finalise party candidates for 60 Assembly seats where polling will be held in the first two phases on March 27 and April 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the CEC meeting.
The BJP is working continuously to upstage the Trinamool government in West Bengal, especially after its impressive performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in which the party won 18 out of the 42 seats.
One of the high profile constituencies which will go to the polls in the second phase is Nandigram from where Chief Minister Banerjee is likely to contest. The BJP is likely to field one of Banerjee’s former close aides and ex-Bengal minister Suvendu Adikari from there.
Earlier in the day, top leaders from West Bengal, including Vijayvargiya, co-incharges Arvind Menon and Amit Malviya, met to shortlist the names forwarded by the party’s district units.