The BJPs preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls kicked into high gear on Thursday as its top leaders gathered for a marathon meeting to finalize the first list of candidates. The high-stakes Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting was convened at the partys Delhi headquarters and lasted over 4 hours well past midnight. It was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief JP Nadda and other senior leaders. Several Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states including Yogi Adityanath, Bhupendra Patel, Mohan Yadav, Vishnu Deo Sai, Pushkar Singh Dhami and Pramod Sawant were also present.The late night huddle underscores the BJPs push to announce candidates early and give them ample time to campaign. There is intense speculation on whether key Union Ministers like Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar, currently Rajya Sabha members, will contest the Lok Sabha polls this time.While their candidature appears confirmed, their constituencies are yet to be decided. Both leaders hail from Karnataka and Gujarat respectively. The meeting came on the heels of PM Modis assertion that the NDA will cross 400 seats and the BJP alone will surpass 370, aiming to secure a third straight term in power - a record set only by Indias first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru so far. The high-decibel polls will pit the BJPs development and welfare plank against the united oppositions focus on rising prices, unemployment and communal polarization. The release of the keenly-awaited first list of candidates will set the stage for the next round of hectic political developments.
