BJP to Finalize Delhi Election Candidates Amid Party Disquiet; SAD to Decide on Badal’s Fate

The BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) is scheduled to meet on Friday to finalize its remaining candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. The committee, comprising key figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP national president J.P. Nadda, has already announced 29 candidates out of 70.

There is ongoing unrest in the party regarding the nomination of Ramesh Bidhuri from Kalkaji to contest against AAP’s Atishi. Bidhuri’s controversial remarks about Atishi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi triggered a backlash, leading to discussions about potentially replacing him with a woman candidate. Sources indicate that the BJP is considering doubling the number of women candidates compared to 2020, with around 10 women expected in the next list, which will likely be announced after the CEC meeting. The first list of candidates already included two women.

BJP president Nadda had earlier reviewed the party’s preparedness for the elections, meeting with key in-charges and other leaders to ensure a strong campaign.

SAD to Discuss Resignation of Sukhbir Badal

On Friday, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) working committee will meet to discuss the resignation of Sukhbir Badal as party president and announce the schedule for the party’s membership drive, which is expected to kickstart its organizational restructuring.

This move comes after a meeting between SAD members and Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, where the party was briefed about the legal challenges in implementing his directive to form a seven-member committee for party elections. The Akal Takht Jathedar had previously urged the SAD to accept Badal’s resignation, a decision he had tendered in November 2024 following religious punishment for the party’s alleged mistakes during its rule from 2007 to 2017. However, the working committee has yet to formally accept his resignation.

SKM Appeals for Unity Amid Farmer Protests

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which had previously led the 2020 farmers’ protest against controversial farm laws, is seeking unity among farmer organizations as divisions continue in the current protests. The SKM has announced that a six-member coordination committee will visit the Khanauri and Shambhu borders on Friday to appeal for cooperation between protesting groups.

Unlike the 2020 protests, which saw broad participation from Haryana, farmers from the state have largely stayed away from the current agitation. The absence is attributed to multiple factors, including the rushed “Dilli Chalo” call, political changes in Haryana, and the state government’s proactive stance under the Nayab Singh Saini administration. Additionally, initiatives like the Bhawantar Bharpayee Yojana and the state’s commitment to procure 24 crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP) have kept many Haryana farmers from joining the ongoing protest. Many of the protests are now led by farmer organizations from Punjab, which are distancing themselves from political figures involved in earlier protests.