Haryana polls: BJP 1st list likely today, many may miss bus

The Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday evening held its first meeting to discuss party candidates for Haryana assembly elections.
The meeting held at party headquarters chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focused on finalizing candidates for the upcoming polls, with discussions centered around four crucial survey reports assessing the viability of ticket aspirants.

The high-stakes meeting was attended by top BJP leaders, including party president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP Women’s Wing Chief Vanathi Srinivasan.
Key figures from Haryana, such as Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Haryana BJP Incharge Dharmender Pradhan, and co-election incharge Biplab Kumar Deb, were also present, alongside senior leaders like Anil Vij, Captain Abhimanyu, and OP Dhankar.

Party sources have indicated that candidates for 40 seats have been finalised and the first list of candidates is expected to be announced on Friday. In a strategic bid to counter anti-incumbency, the BJP is reportedly considering dropping several sitting MLAs having poor performance- with a preference for introducing new faces including Union minister Rao Inderjit’s daughter Aarti Rao in the electoral race.

The party leaders also discussed shifting of the Chief Minister Nayab Saini from Karnal to Ladwa assembly constituency of Kurukshetra district. Earlier in the day, the BJP’s state leadership gathered at JP Nadda’s residence for a preparatory discussion.