Senior BJP leaders discuss strategy candidates for Jharkhand assembly polls

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Senior BJP leaders met here on Monday to discuss the party's poll strategy and candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand.
    The meeting held at the residence of BJP national president J P Nadda was attended by Union ministers Amit Shah and Shivraj Singh Chouhan and and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Chouhan is the party's Jharkhand in-charge and Sarma is the co-in-charge.
    BJP Jharkhand unit president Babulal Marandi, Rajya Sabha MP Samir Oraon, Union minister Annapurna Devi and other leaders from the state were also present.
    According to sources, the meeting discussed the names of the candidates who could be fielded by the party in the state assembly polls. The BJP's Jharkhand unit had brought a list of probable candidates, at least three for each assembly seat.
    The meeting also deliberated on the party's seat-sharing formula with allies, they said.
    While the BJP is set to contest the state assembly polls in Jharkhand in alliance with the JD(U) and the AJSU party, it may consider forging a pre-poll alliance with the Union minister Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) as well.
    Paswan on Monday said that his party wants to contest the Jharkhand assembly polls and a final decision will soon be taken on whether it would join the fray under the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or alone.
    "I met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday. We discussed the current political situation in the country and also the upcoming assembly elections. Jharkhand was also discussed," the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief told reporters here on the sidelines of a FICCI event.
    Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand state assembly are due later this year. The poll schedule is expected to be announced by the Election Commission soon.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)