New Delhi: The BJP has finalised 172 candidates for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls at the Central Election Committee meeting which was convened here on Thursday. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will contest from Ayodhya while Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma from Lucknow. The party's seat-sharing talks with Apna Dal (S) and Nishad Party are also in the final stages.
According to party sources, Adityanath will fielded from Ayodhya and Maurya from Sirathu constituency. Sharma may contest from one of the Assembly constituencies in Lucknow. A five-term former Lok Sabha member from Gorakhpur, Adityanath is currently a member of the Legislative Council. The party is likely to announce its first list of candidates in the next few days, the sources said.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Thursday claimed the BJP will secure a landslide victory in the state Assembly polls. Addressing the media after the party's Central Election Committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said discussions were held on 172 seats, polling for which will be held in three phases.
He predicted that the party would get a huge mandate in 2022, more than it got in 2017. The party's first list of selected candidates is likely to be released on Friday.
As many as 58 and 55 seats of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly will face the polls on February 10 and February 14, respectively. The state is scheduled to have seven-phase polls. Uttarakhand, Goa and Punjab assembly polls will also be held on February 14.
The BJP is likely to drop a number of sitting MLAs to neutralise anti-incumbency at the local level.
According to the Apna Dal (S), it is likely to contest 13 to 14 seats and the Nishad Party 13 to 17 seats. While speaking to ETV Bharat, Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad exuded confidence over the party's victory and was hopeful of fruitful talks on sharing of seats with the BJP.
The Nishad Party, which is contesting elections in Uttar Pradesh in alliance with the BJP, has claimed that the BJP has agreed to give it 15 to 18 seats in the state. It is contesting the assembly polls in alliance with the BJP for the first time.
Party President Sanjay Nishad said, "We discussed the issue of seat-sharing at a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah. They have agreed to give us seats on which the party was preparing for the last seven years. However, out of 15-18 seats, our candidates will fight on the BJP symbol on two to three seats as per the alliance strategy. We will try our best to help each other win as many seats as possible.
"The BJP in 2017 fought the state elections together with the Apna Dal and Omprakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party. Rajbhar is now with the Samajwadi Party (SP), while the BJP got a new ally in the Nishad Party. On the Congress releasing a list of 50 women candidates, Nishad said, "There is a difference between distributing tickets and winning seats. This is nothing but a political stunt.
He further stated the Nishad Party has a vote bank of the fishermen community and it will benefit the alliance and pointed out that people are aware of the works had done by the Samajwadi Party when it was at the helm. They also know how the party had exploited the backward communities, he reminded. He said that apart from the fishermen community and the other backward communities will vote for the BJP and its allies.
He claimed that his party would play a kingmaker role this time and predicted that the NDA coalition government will be formed in Uttar Pradesh.
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