BJP to field 25% new faces in poll
Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 1
The ruling BJP is mulling fielding at least 25 per cent new faces in the upcoming Assembly elections as compared to the 2019 Assembly elections with several ministers and sitting MLAs likely to face the axe.
In an apparent bid to beat anti-incumbency, the saffron party is in the process of shortlisting the ‘winnable’ candidates for the Assembly elections. In fact, the ‘report cards’ of the ministers, sitting MLAs and the prospective candidates are being prepared by the party to assess the ‘winnability’ of ticket aspirants.
All sitting MLAs may not be dropped
The BJP will replace about 25 per cent of the 90 candidates who contested the 2019 polls to offer fresh choice to the electorate. However, that doesn’t mean that all 41 sitting MLAs would be dropped. Mohan Lal Badoli, State BJP chief
Certain ministers and sitting MLAs may not get re-nomination, sources said, adding that the winnability factor would be the only criteria for the allotment of party ticket.
BJP state president Mohan Lal Badoli confirmed that the saffron party would replace about 25 per cent of the 90 candidates, who contested the 2019 polls, to offer new choice to the electorate. “However, that does not mean that all 41 sitting MLAs would be dropped. The new faces falling within 25 per cent category could well be from among the unsuccessful candidates in 2019 polls,” Badoli quipped.
Currently, the party is depending on surveys and workers’ and leaders’ feedback to shortlist prospective candidates for the 90 Assembly seats. Later, a panel of candidates for each Assembly segment would be submitted to the Central Election Committee to take a final call on the selection of the candidates.
The sources said a majority of dropped candidates would be from the 46 Assembly segments in which the party tasted defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Most of these Assembly segments fall in Ambala, Sonepat, Rohtak, Hisar and Sirsa parliamentary segments which were won by the opposition Congress.
The BJP is majorly focusing on the 44 Assembly seats in which the party maintained its lead over the Congress in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. The next focus will be on those Assembly segments on which the victory margin of the Congress was very thin, the sources added.
Winnability only criteria
The ‘report cards’ of the ministers, sitting MLAs and the prospective candidates are being prepared by the party to assess the ‘winnability’ of ticket aspirants. Certain ministers and sitting MLAs may not get re-nomination, sources said, adding that the winnability would be the only criteria for the allotment of ticket
