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BJP consensus on candidates
By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 24. After three-day of consultations with party functionaries at various levels (district, block and sub-block), a near consensus has emerged in the BJP on its candidates to contest the municipal polls in about 40 of the 134 wards.

Party sources in the MCD said an exercise was now on to select candidates for the remaining seats numbering a little over 90. It has also been decided not to give party tickets to about two dozen sitting Councillors. The party had won as many as 79 seats in the last elections in 1997.

A senior party official in the MCD involved with the selection of candidates said there were multiple numbers of contenders for the rest of the seats. ``It is five on an average, while for quite a few seats we are having as many as 10 contenders,'' he said.

As part of the selection process, the party election committee has called all its Councillors for an interview on Monday where they would be asked to give their performance report and also reply to the queries and complaints being raised by the BJP workers during the three-day consultation process which concluded today.

Following this, all sitting party MLA and those who had unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly polls in 1998 have also been invited for consultation. ``We hope to complete the entire process by February 28 and declare the list thereafter as that the candidates start filing their nominations from March 1,'' the leader said.

As for sitting BJP Councillors, the official said they were being judged on three criteria for their renomination. Firstly their performance and the developmental works undertaken during the past five year. It is understood the Delhi BJP president, Mange Ram Garg, has been provided details of the funds being spent by the BJP Councillors from the development fund. ``This will only be an indication of their work,'' he said.

The image of the Councillor in his / her constituency and relationship with party workers during last five years would be the other two criteria for renomination. ``While preparing the list, emphasis would be to bring in some fresh and young faces before the public. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi for us is a grooming ground for our party workers. Every one needs to be given a chance to prove their mettle,'' the official said.

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