Winnability only criterion for selection of candidates: Gehlot

BJP's election in-charge for Uttarakhand, Thawar Chand Gehlot on Wednesday said winnability was the only criterion for selection of candidates in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Gehlot, who heads the Pradesh BJP poll management committee, said candidates for the five Lok Sabha seats in the state will be announced by March 18.

"The party's central poll committee will hold its meeting from March 16-18 to decide the candidates for the seats going to polls in the first phase," he said.

The hill state goes to polls in the first phase on April 11 with the saffron party facing the challenge of retaining all the five seats.

To a question on whether Pauri MP Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri will contest the polls this time, Gehlot said it depended on the former's wish.

It is being speculated that the Pauri MP may not contest the polls on health grounds.

Claiming that the atmosphere in the country was in favour of the BJP, Gehlot said the party was set to return to power again under the leadership of Narendra Modi.

He said the prime minister's constant focus on the poor was reflected in schemes like the Jan Dhan, Ujjwala, Man Dhan, Kisan Samman Nidhi and Ayushman Bharat.

The BJP leader also said the so-called 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) of opposition parties lacked coherence and consistency.

"If they take four steps forward in the morning, they retreat five steps backward by the evening. The alliance lacks clarity and is in no position to give BJP a fight," he said.

Accusing the Congress of speaking the "language of Pakistan", Gehlot said its demand for proof of the air strike against terror targets in Balakot has earned the party many admirers in the neighbouring country.