Bihar elections: Local BJP cadres to decide party's candidates for Assembly seats

By Amit Kumar
New Delhi [India], September 24 : As preparations have begun in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided that local cadres of the party in each district will have the final say in choosing who will be the candidate from their Assembly seats.
Talking to ANI, on condition of anonymity, a top party leader from the State said that the party had booked 10 banquet halls in Patna yesterday for voting through secret ballot for the purpose.
Block to State-level party cadres have been given the option to provide three names, for the voting to be held through secret ballot, for choosing the Assembly seat candidate.
Sources told ANI that thousands of party members had taken part in the voting to select their Assembly candidates. The ballot boxes were then sealed in the presence of top BJP leaders by the district presidents to assure no further manipulation can take place.
They added that procedures which take place in voting were followed by the party to choose close to 150 candidates for the upcoming elections.
The ballot boxes will be opened and counting will be held in front of top State and Central leadership, sources said.
By adopting these measures, the Bihar BJP is trying to give a signal to its cadres that the party will give precedence to candidates who are favoured by the local leadership rather than it being a decision based on someone' proximity with the central leadership.
The Assembly elections for 243 seats in Bihar are due in October-November and the tenure of the current Assembly is scheduled to end on November 29.
The Election Commission has not yet taken a final call on poll dates in Bihar due to the coronavirus pandemic.