New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday released a second list of 29 candidates for the state Assembly polls taking the total names declared to 58.
The latest list includes the former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana’s son, Harish Khurana alongside five women candidates, The Indian Express reported.
The party has chosen to field almost all, what its critics say, leaders ‘imported’ from the Congress ahead of the last year’s Lok Sabha polls.
Seven of its nominees for the state’s 70 Assembly seats are women matching the number of women candidates it had in the 2020 polls.
More women candidates are likely to make it to the party’s third and final list according to the BJP insiders.
It is reported that candidates from NDA allies the Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Eknath Sinde-led Shiv Sena will also enter the fray.
The outlet quoted a senior BJP leader as saying: ‘With the announcement of Harish Khurana, former Delhi CM Madan Lal Khurana’s son, as the BJP candidate from Moti Nagar, the party has now given tickets to two ex-CM’s sons including Sahib Singh Verma’s son Parvesh Verma against Arvind Kejriwal from New Delhi.’
It is reported citing a party source that ‘Councillors with a good public connect, such as Umang Bajaj who has been fielded from Rajinder Nagar and Manoj Kumar Jindal fielded from Sadar Bazar, have also made the cut among many other sitting or former BJP councilors.’
The BJP dropped five time MLA for Karawal Nagar, Mohan Singh Bisht, to field Kapil Mishra in his home turf which he won for AAP in 2015.
Priyanka Gautam is another AAP turncoat, a former councillor, who joined the BJP in December, to get into the party list for the Scheduled Caste-reserved Kondli seat.
Except for one leader, all others who crossed over to the BJP from the Congress ahead of Lok Sabha polls have been accommodated in the list, according to a senior leader.