Winning potential key factor for candidates: BJP leader

Administrative experience and the potential to win were the key factors in selecting candidates in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, BJP leader Siddhartha Nath Singh said Friday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party Thursday announced its first list of 54 candidates for the polls, including 17 for West Bengal.

The names include former lawmaker Tapan Sikdar (Dum Dum), state party president Rahul Sinha (Kolkata Uttar), and magician P.C. Sorcar Jr. (Barasat).

"We have taken the issue of selecting candidates very seriously with major focus on their experience as well as winability. The remaining list of candidate will be announced before March 8," said Singh, who is also the party observer for the state.

The list includes the names of former state party president Tathagata Roy and Bengali actor George Baker.

Singh said that besides issues at the national level, the party will highlight the anarchy in the state under the Trinamool Congress government.

"We will consider women as well as minorities while deciding the final list of candidates," he added.

Sorcar, a self-confessed fan of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, and who was present at Modi's rally in the city Feb 5, exuded confidence about converting his popularity as a magician into votes.

"I will like to vanish poverty and illiteracy from the country, if elected," he said.