BJP central election committee meets to select Rajya Sabha candidates

The BJP central election committee on Tuesday deliberated on the party's candidates for the March 26 Rajya Sabha elections in some states.

The committee, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met under the chairmanship of BJP president J P Nadda.

Sources said the party may announce the names of its candidates on Wednesday.

Elections to 55 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant in April will be held on March 26, the Election Commission has announced. March 13 is the last date for filing nominations.

The meeting was held on a day Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the Congress after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi.

Scindia, along with his supporters, is expected to join the BJP and may get a Rajya Sabha ticket from Madhya Pradesh, where election will be held on three seats.

Fifty-one of these 55 seats from 17 states are falling vacant on different dates in April due to retirement of sitting members, while the rest are already vacant due to resignation of members.

The terms of the members who had resigned in the recent past were also ending in April.

Counting will be held on the evening of March 26, an hour after the conclusion of polls.