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BJP to shortlist candidates today

Special Correspondent

RSS playing important role in selection of candidates

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The office-bearers of the Bharatiya Janata Party will meet in Kochi on Saturday to shortlist candidates for the Assembly elections.

RSS leaders to attend meeting

The RSS is playing an important role in the selection of the candidates this time against the background of the debacle in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha byelection. Its representatives will attend the meeting. Candidates will be finalised only in close consultation with RSS leaders.

The increased role of the RSS in the selection process is expected. The organisation wants more of its favourites and independents in the list.

The party will field candidates in all the 140 constituencies, except for a few seats, which will be earmarked for the Janata Dal (United), a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance.

Though the party's chances of victory are very low, there are considerable pulls and pushes for candidature and constituency.

The district units of the party have already submitted a panel of candidates for consideration and some discussions have already taken place to shortlist them at the State level.

After the leadership meeting in Kochi, the election committee of the party headed by C. K. Padmanabhan will meet in a few days to draw up the final list.

Announcement next week

The candidates are expected to be announced before the end of next week.

Former Union Minister of State O. Rajagopal and VHP State organising secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan are the front-runners for the Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram East constituency where the party has considerable support.

Mr. Rajasekharan will require the clearance of the RSS top leadership at the national level to enter the contest, as he is a full-time pracharak.

Party president Sreedharan Pillai will also be in the arena.

The representation for women in the list is likely to be high, as every district unit had been asked to include at least one woman in their lists.

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