JP Nadda, Amit Shah hold marathon meetings with MP, Rajasthan leaders

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, October 17

The BJP on Tuesday held marathon meetings to make strategy for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh with top central and state brass in attendance. The central election committee of the party chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to assemble on October 19 to take a call on the remaining candidates in the two states.

Rajput push

Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, a descendant of Maharana Pratap, and Bhawani Singh Kalvi, the son of former president of Karni Sena Lokendra Singh Kalvi, joined the BJP on Tuesday. The joinings seek to assuage Rajputs after the party fielded Diya Kumari as its candidate from Vidyadhar Nagar in Jaipur in place of four time-MLA Narpat Singh Rajvi, the son in law of late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Rajvi is a senior Rajput leader and a Vasundhara Raje loyalist.

BJP president JP Nadda today chaired the meeting where Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in attendance along with core committee members of both states.

The leaders first discussed candidates for Rajasthan in the presence of former CM Vasundhara Raje, state party president CP Joshi, former state unit chief Satish Poonia, BJP poll incharge for Rajasthan Pralhad Joshi, co-incharges Nitin Patel and Kuldeep Bishnoi, and Union Ministers Gajendra Shehawat and Arjun Meghwal.

The BJP has so far named 41 of 200 candidates in Rajasthan, including seven MPs. In Madhya Pradesh, the party has fielded 136 candidates, including seven MPs, three of them Union ministers.

The Madhya Pradesh Assembly has 230 members. Sources said the party leaders have finalised names for most of the pending seats in both states. In the Madhya Pradesh meeting, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya were among attendees. It remains to be seen whether in Rajasthan, as in MP, the BJP will field Union Ministers Shekhawat and Meghwal.