POLITICS

Delhi polls: BJP shortlists three probable candidates for each seat

After a survey, the BJP has stepped up its candidate selection process for the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls. The party has shortlisted three most potential candidates for each 70 Assembly seats and now the top national leaders will take the final call. The party is expected to declare candidates around mid-December, so that candidates have enough time for campaigning. The party has been out of power in Delhi since 1998. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party has dominated the electoral scene in the Assembly polls so far, routing out the BJP in 2015 and 2020.

Allotment of fresh seats to all MPs in Lok Sabha soon

Lok Sabha Speaker will, in days to come, allot a seat of division numbers to all MPs. Most parties have sent their list of preferred seats. Front row seats are considered coveted and usually earmarked for senior members and floor leaders. The Congress, which has 99 lawmakers in the Lower House, already submitted the request to the office of Lok Sabha Speaker. The Congress has sought front row seats in the Lok Sabha for its four members - Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Alappuzha MP KC Venugopal, Jorhat lawmaker Gaurav Gogoi and Mavelikkara MP Kodikunnil Suresh. As Leader of Opposition, Rae Bareli MP Gandhi is already entitled to a designated front row seat, set to be right opposite to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s seat. Samajwadi Party, the third largest bloc in the Lok Sabha after BJP and Congress, might get two front row seats that the party has requested for its President Akhilesh Yadav and Faizabad lawmaker Awadhesh Prasad. DMK’s senior-most lawmaker TR Baalu is also expected to get a front row seat.