Punjab BJP to announce poll nominees by Jan 12

Jalandhar, Jan 5 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) will announce party candidates for February 13 Punjab assembly elections by January 12.

The state election committee will finalise the panel of party candidates in a meeting tomorrow, but official announcement for the candidates would be made by the BJP Central Parliamentary Board by January 12, state vice president Narrotam Dev Ratti told UNI.

Mr Ratti, who is also a member of the election committee, said the committe had shortlisted names of candidates for some seats at its first meeting on January 3 and would complete the work tommorow.

It would then send the panel to the party's central parliamentary board which would meet in New Delhi from Janaury 10 to 12 to finalise and release the lists of party nominees for the four states going to the polls next month.

Over the possibility of fielding of former MP Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife for the February 13 bypoll for Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, Mr Ratti said no such formal proposal had come before the party state unit so far.

The issue might figure at tomorrow's meeting but the final decision would be taken by the party's central leadership.

UNI