BJP CEC likely to meet on Sep 29 to finalise Haryana poll candidates

The BJP's central election committee is expected to meet on September 29 to finalise its candidates for the Haryana assembly elections, with the party deciding not to field family members of its sitting MPs and MLAs.

BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday held a long meeting with a core group of state party leaders, including Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, to give final touches to the list of prospective candidates and to review the election strategy.

Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala said the party will not give tickets to family members of its elected representatives in line with its stand against dynastic politics.

However, party sources said somebody like Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh's wife Premlata Singh, who is a sitting MLA, will not be denied a ticket on this ground as she is already a member of the assembly.

A number of BJP MPs had been pushing the names of their family members as party candidates for the polls, prompting the leadership to take a "principled stand" against fielding any kin of its elected representatives, they said.

Haryana along with Maharashtra will go to polls on October 21.

The BJP, which is in power in both the states, is confident of retaining power.

The party's CEC, which included Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah besides other senior leaders, is expected to meet on Sunday and a list of names will be released subsequently.

It had won 47 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly in the 2014 polls.