The BJP is expected to release the first list of candidates for the coming elections in the first week of April. 

Party state president D V Sadananda Gowda said the party will start hold meetings with district level committees from March 27 to finalise the list of candidates.

He said 21 districts have already sent their recommendations for candidature to the state unit and the candidates for 125 constituencies will be finalised by the first week of April.

According to sources, the party meeting on Friday where Arun Jaitley was present, has decided to send a team of senior party leaders to these districts and get an opinion from the party workers before finalising the names.

“The party’s state unit has received applications from many people expressing their wish to contest in the coming elections and asked the district committees to shortlist the aspirants. A team of senior leaders will visit the districts and verify ground realities before finalising the list. This process will conclude by the end of March and the list will be ready by the first week of April”, the source added.

STRATEGY

Committee in place

The BJP has appointed former minister and MLC Dr V S Acharya as the chairperson of the party’s manifesto committee.  MLC D S Veeraiah will be the convener and the members include: Rajya Sabha member K B Shanappa, State BJP Secretary S Suresh Kumar, MLC Basavaraj Bommai, State BJP Vice President Mumtaz Ali Khan, retired Chief Secretary to Karnataka State Government Dr Raveendra, former MLA Yogeesh Bhat, former MLC Pramila Nesargi, former member-secretary to Karnataka Pollution Control Board Dr S Ganjigatti and retired Commissioner (commercial taxes) D V Shivaram Gowda.