BJP likely to release first list of Lok Sabha polls candidates tomorrow

The BJP is likely to release its first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls on Saturday, when its central election committee is scheduled to meet.

The election for 543 parliamentary seats will be held in seven phases till May 19 and the counting of votes will be taken up on May 23.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah and other top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders will attend the central election committee meeting.

All 42 seats in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will go to the polls in the first phase with a fraction of constituencies in many other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam, also to witness polling on April 11.

The Assembly polls in Telangana and Odisha will be held simultaneously with the general election.

With Modi known for dropping a number of incumbents in order to beat the anti-incumbency factor, the saffron party has been abuzz with speculation over the fate of its sitting MPs.

It has sought feedback from a number of sources, including the public, and has also asked its MPs to furnish details of the works they have carried out as it finalises its candidates for the upcoming polls.