BJP to field candidates for all 140 seats: Pillai

Thrissur, Mar 5 (UNI) The BJP in Kerala will field candidates or independents backed by the party in all the 140 constituencies in the next month's Assembly elections in the state, State party President P S Sreedharan Pillai said today.

The BJP was far ahead of other parties in election preparations and the preliminary lists of its candidates would be submitted by the block committees to the state committee by March 15, Mr Pillai told UNI after the party's state leadership meeting held here.

Several leaders, including party President Rajnath Singh and Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu would visit the state and address election meetings, he said.

While Mr Naidu will kick off the poll campaign at Kozhikode on March 17 and another meeting at Chengannur on the next day, Mr Rajnath Singh would address an election rally at Palakkad on March 20, he said.

The meeting adopted a resolution condemning the ''inaction'' on the part of the UDF Government in bringing to book those responsible for the twin blasts in Kozhikode and seizure of explosives.

The meeting also expressed concern over the 'increasing extremist activites' in the state and the 'inactive' stand of the government.

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