Six sitting BJP legislators in Bengal might get nomination for Lok Sabha polls

Kolkata : At least six sitting legislators of the BJP in West Bengal are likely to get nomination for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said sources in the state unit of the party.

According to the sources, the picture will be clear on Tuesday after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s meeting with the top BJP leadership of the state.

The Home Minister is scheduled to reach Kolkata on Monday night and after day-long meetings, he is scheduled to fly back to the national capital on Tuesday evening.

“Amit Shah will give the final indication as to who will be the six sitting legislators who might be nominated as Lok Sabha candidates in 2024. However, as per information available, preference will be given to those with good performance record on the floor of the House and in the constituency from which they have been electede,” said a member of the BJP’s state committee.

He also said that after the Home Minister’s day-long programmes, there is a possibility of getting an indication as to who among the sitting Lok Sabha members of the party from West Bengal might not get renomination this time.

In 2019, BJP’s electoral performance was the best ever in West Bengal when it won 18 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

This time, Amit Shah has already set a target of 35 seats from the state. Target has also been set for fielding at least 12 women candidates in 2024.

If that happens, the number will be significantly higher than what was fielded by the party in the 2019 general elections. In 2019, the BJP fielded a total of five woman candidates, out of which two got elected -- actress-turned-politician Locket Chatterjee and Debasree Chaudhuri.