BJP to finalise Bengal civic poll candidates by Diwali; adopts multi-tier screening, eyes professionals

Kolkata: The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will finalise its list of candidates for the forthcoming urban civic body elections, including those to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC), by Diwali, scheduled for November 8.

The civic body elections are likely to be held in the last week of November, with results expected to be announced by the first week of December.

To minimise dissent and ensure a smooth candidate selection process, the BJP has adopted a multi-tier screening mechanism that combines recommendations from local leaders with applications from professionals, with the final names subject to scrutiny by district- and state-level committees.

A BJP state committee member said discussions on the candidates recommended by the party's local leadership would begin immediately after Lakshmi Puja on October 8. The shortlisted candidates are expected to be announced soon after Diwali.

The party will draw up its final list from two separate sets of applications. The first will comprise names recommended by local party leaders, while the second will include applications invited from professionals in selected fields, including medicine, law, engineering, media and social work.

A drop box has already been placed at the BJP's original headquarters on Muralidhar Sen Lane in north Kolkata to receive applications from professionals interested in contesting the civic polls on the party's ticket. Applicants have been asked to submit their biodata along with their applications.

“Our central leadership does not want any resentment within the party over the selection of candidates for the civic polls. Therefore, the candidate will not be decided by anyone's single decision. Names will come from the grassroots and then be vetted by the district election core committee and the state-level committee. Only after this process will the final names of the candidates be announced,” the state committee member said.

The BJP's state leadership will also work on its campaign strategy and identify key issues to be raised during the civic poll campaign. These discussions will take place alongside the exercise to shortlist candidates after Lakshmi Puja.

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