The BJP leadership in West Bengal is struggling to select candidates in the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with several party factions staking claims for the same seats. With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, the state leadership wants to speed up the process of candidate selection.

However, BJP sources told DH that the situation has become as such that for several seats in north Bengal the number of average ticket aspirants have crossed 50.

“We struggled to find candidates in the last Lok Sabha election but this time we are having a tough time in handling so many claimants for party tickets. Moreover, several district presidents have sent names of at least four potential candidates for each Lok Sabha seats in their respective districts,” said a senior state BJP leader.

BJP sources revealed that to resolve the issue the state leadership has decided to change the process of selecting potential candidates which will later be finalised the by the central leadership. 

Usually, the state leadership sends names of three potential candidates for each of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal. But this time each of the 16 election committee members will send names of three candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in the respective zones they look after.

“ This seems to be the best way to deal with the situation as of now. We don’t want any internal discontent to affect our poll prospects in Bengal,” the BJP leader said.

State BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu admitted that this time the number of applicants for party ticket is “a lot more” than the last Lok Sabha elections

Admitting that a large number of applications for party tickets are pouring in State BJP leadership Dilip Ghosh said that “ winning potential will be the foremost criteria in the selection of candidates.”