BJP candidate list to be released next week

After the Aam Aadmi Party released names of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is likely to announce its first list after a central election committee meeting on coming Thursday.

Senior leaders confident of doing well in the elections will figure in the list. It has been prepared, but has to be finalised in Thursday’s meeting. Sources said party patriarch L K Advani will contest from Gandhinagar constituency. The BJP leaders, however, did not clarify whether Narendra Modi’s name will find a mention in the list.

It is rumoured that he might contest either from Uttar Pradesh or his home state. The list will also feature Sushma Swaraj, who will be fielded from the Vidisha constituency in Madhya Pradesh. The party was upbeat about its Lok Sabha prospects, with poll surveys suggesting grand success.

Advani told reporters on Saturday that the BJP will emerge the single largest party, surpassing its previous best. The Congress is expected to deliver its poorest show ever.

Advani, however, cautioned the BJP against over-confidence and losing the plot as in 2004.