BJP central panel meets to decide names for Jharkhand

BJP's central election committee held a meeting on Tuesday where it discussed potential candidates for about 60 seats in Jharkhand, starting with 28 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes, according to people familiar with the matter.

Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and other committee members, senior party leaders from Jharkhand were also present during the meeting, they said. BJP is focusing on seats reserved for STs as it managed to win only two of the 28 seats in the 2019 election.

The party has decided to field senior party leaders and those who have joined from other parties, aiming to make the contest tougher for the INDIA bloc on the ST seats, said the people. In the first list, likely to be announced on Thursday, BJP will release the list of seats where senior leaders will be fielded, they said.

The party will give 11 seats to ally AJSU, two seats to the JDU and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan will be persuaded not to contest the election, said state leaders, adding that it is up to the central leadership to decide whether they are willing to give one seat to Paswan's party.

Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi is likely to be the party candidate from Dhanwar assembly seat, according to sources. Former CM Champai Soren will contest from his Sarai Kela seat while his son Babulal Soren is being considered for Ghatshila, they said, adding that the leader of the opposition in Jharkhand assembly Amar Kumar Bauri will contest from his Chandankiyari seat.

Former Union minister Arjun Munda has asked the party to consider his wife Meera Munda's name from Kharsawan seat instead of considering him.

Former cricketer Saurabh Tiwari is likely to be fielded from Jamshedpur (East). Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy, who has joined JD (U), has been asked to contest from Jamshedpur West constituency.

Former Jama MLA Sita Soren, who contested from Dumka Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket and lost, has decided to field her daughter Jayshree Soren from Jama seat.

Former Congress MP Geeta Koda will get a ticket from Jagannath constituency.