The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to announce its first list of candidates for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections within the next one or two days, party sources said. The list is expected to include around 150 candidates, with most names already finalised and currently awaiting formal approval from the party’s top leadership.
Sources told The Sunday Guardian that the candidate selection process was overseen by Bengal election in-charge Bhupender Yadav and senior party leader Sunil Bansal. The proposed names have reportedly been sent to the central leadership for final clearance, including Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and BJP national president Nitin Nabin.
Typically, the BJP releases its first list of candidates within a few days after the Election Commission of India announces the poll schedule. During the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Election Commission declared the dates on 26 March, while the BJP unveiled its first candidate list on 6 April, about eleven days later.
Party insiders indicated that the BJP plans to renominate most of its sitting MLAs, reflecting a strategy of continuity. At the same time, the party is considering fielding several former Members of Parliament in the assembly polls, while current MPs are unlikely to be nominated.
Earlier this week, the Election Commission announced the election schedule for West Bengal along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Puducherry. In West Bengal, voting will take place in two phases—the first on 23 April and the second on 29 April—with the counting of votes scheduled for 4 May.
In the 2021 assembly elections, the ruling All India Trinamool Congress won 213 of the state’s 294 seats, while the BJP secured 77 seats, emerging as the principal opposition. The elections were marked by high voter turnout and intense political polarisation. With reports indicating that over 8 percent of voters have been removed from the electoral rolls and women voters emerging as a crucial voting bloc, the BJP is recalibrating its strategy for the upcoming polls.Â
A political analyst closely following West Bengal politics said the BJP exercised significant caution in selecting candidates this time. The process reportedly took nearly a month and involved consultations at multiple levels of the party, along with feedback from grassroots workers.
According to the analyst, aspirants were evaluated after carefully considering local and regional dynamics, caste equations, organisational loyalty, and popularity, which was assessed through surveys conducted by various agencies. Electoral winnability was also a key factor in the final selection. The BJP believes that this carefully prepared candidate list will strengthen its campaign and help it mount a stronger challenge to the ruling Trinamool Congress in the upcoming elections.
