In a bid to contain rebels, the BJP has asked poll managers to maintain a list of names they recommend as candidates for the Assembly elections so that they can be held accountable for mischief.
BJP sources said the directions have come from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, especially in the high-stake Uttar Pradesh elections, where candidates from other parties are making a beeline to contest on the lotus symbol.
For 402 Assembly seats in UP, the BJP has got about 8,000 applications, which works out to 20 per constituency, said a party leader. Even for seats considered weak bets, at least a dozen aspirants were lobbying for the ticket, BJP sources said.
There is pressure from the organisation to field candidates to consolidate its strength for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and not fall for weathercocks who have paradropped from other parties, knowing that the BJP is in a better position now, compared to its performance in the 2012 poll when it pocketed only 47 seats.
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