The BJP has fallen back on a pool of serving MPs and turncoats to come up with an incomplete list of candidates for the third and fourth phases of the Bengal elections, prompting questions on the party’s bench strength in the state and triggering expressions of discontent.
The list announced on Sunday features 63 names although 75 constituencies will go to the polls over these two legs, leaving 12 seats to be assigned candidates at a later date. The list was announced after several days of deliberations in New Delhi in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.