Amit Shah ticks off Kerala unit on poll nominees

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah at an election committee meeting of the party in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

A “livid” BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday asked the party’s Kerala leaders to “sort out” the seat-sharing formula with key ally Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) at the earliest and also disapproved of the release of candidates’ names by the state unit without getting them approved by the central election committee (CEC). The BDJS, sources said, complained to Mr Shah after the BJP state unit released the names of around 22 candidates and also threatened to contest the coming Assembly elections alone. The BJP CEC, which met at party headquarters, also released 194 more candidate names for the West Bengal elections, including that of its former state unit chief, Rahul Sinha, and actor-turned-politician Rupa Ganguly.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with other senior central leaders, were also present when Mr Shah asked the Kerala leaders how they had announced candidates’ names without first discussing the crucial issue of a seat-sharing formula with the BDJS. After the CEC meeting the BJP claimed that due to “some pending issues” the names of its candidates for the Kerala Assembly elections will be announced later.

BDJS is the political wing of caste-based organisation SNDP, which represents the numerically powerful Ezhava community. Sources disclosed BDJS and BJP’s state unit have failed to agree on some “winnable seats” from which both parties want to field candidates. BJP’s former state unit chief V. Muraleedharan apparently is not in favour of giving up these “winnable seats” to the SNDP. The BJP Kerala unit, sources said, will now hold a meeting with the BDJS, likely on March 22, to resolve the issue.

After the CEC meeting, Union minister and CEC secretary J.P. Nadda said the party has given representation to “all sections” of society in its West Bengal list. He said young candidates have been preferred and 26 women figured among the candidates announced so far.

With the second list the party has declared 246 candidates for the election to the 294-member state Assembly.

Mr Rahul Sinha will contest from Jorasanko seat in Kolkata, while Ms Rupa Ganguly, who is also the party’s state women’s wing chief, has been fielded from Howrah North. The list also includes the name of former youth wing president Amitava Roy from Barrackpore and actor Suman Banerjee from English Bazaar.

Kerala goes to the polls on May 16, while West Bengal will have elections in six phases between April 4 and May 5.