BJP asks Delhi unit to send fresh list of candidates for general elections

Unhappy with its Delhi unit for objecting to fielding celebrities in the national capital for the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has asked it to send a fresh list of probables, sources said on Monday.

On Friday, the Delhi BJP election committee shortlisted three names each for the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital, amid protests by party members over celebrities joining the organisation for tickets ahead of the polls.

The list, which was finalised at a meeting of the state unit's election committee, did not include former cricketer Gautam Gambhir, whose name was making rounds as a possible candidate from the New Delhi seat after he joined the party.

Some other Delhi BJP leaders who had attended the meeting claimed "objections were raised over celebrities joining the BJP for Lok Sabha tickets and demanded that priority be given to dedicated leaders and workers during ticket distribution".

The sources claimed the central leadership was "unhappy" with its Delhi unit objecting to celebrities being considered to contest the upcoming polls and directed the unit to rework the list of candidates it had submitted to the central leadership.

"The central leadership wants more recommendations from the city, as they feel that Delhi being a key unit should play a more proactive role," a party functionary said Monday.

The party leadership has directed Delhi Lok Sabha poll in-charge Nirmala Sitharaman, co in-charge Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya and state general secretary (organisation) Siddharthan to prepare a new list of candidates, he said.

According to the party's city unit, with the Delhi assembly elections also due in the next few months, the celebrities, if elected to Parliament, will not be able to establish a rapport with the ground workers which may hamper the party's electoral prospects, the sources said.

The unit had forwarded the names of some of its office-bearers for the seven seats which was not much to the liking of the central leadership, they said.

Meanwhile, the work for setting up of Delhi BJP's Lok Sabha Election Office on Pandit Pant Marg started on Monday with a puja.