Sena May Get 125 Seats, Khattar Could Fight from Karnal Again as Modi, Shah Finalise BJP Candidates for State Polls

New Delhi: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar is likely to contest from Karnal again as PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah finalise list for state polls at crucial CEC meeting in party headquarters here on Sunday. The party is likely to release its first list for Maharashtra elections on Monday, with sources indicating that Aaditya Thackeray may not be the alliance's deputy chief ministerial candidate.

Sources also indicated that the party's seat-sharing arrangement with the Shiv Sena in the western state will be announced on October 1.

The party's top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, its chief Amit Shah and working president JP Nadda, deliberated for several hours with other CEC members and leaders from the two states to finalise names of candidates. Sources said Modi was felicitated for his "successful" trip to the US.

The prime minister returned to Delhi on Saturday night from his trip to the US where he addressed the UN General Assembly and several events, including the "Howdy Modi!" diaspora gathering.

Asked about the delay in announcement on allocation of seats in Maharashtra with the Sena and some smaller allies, a party leader said the announcement may be made in a day or two. The Shiv Sena may field candidates for around 120-125 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, he said.

Both Maharashtra and Haryana are going to polls on October 21. The last day for filing nomination is October 4.

Manohar Lal Khattar and Devendra Fadnavis, the chief ministers of Haryana and Maharashtra respectively, remain the face of the BJP in the polls with the party confident of retaining power riding on the back of Modi's popularity, "public support" to the Centre's decision to abrogate special status to Jammu and Kashmir and the achievements of its state governments.

In Haryana, former Indian Hockey team captain Sandeep Singh, Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and woman grappler Babita Phogat, who recently joined the BJP, are likely to be fielded by the party in the elections, sources said. Khattar is expected to contest from Karnal, a seat from where he had won in 2014.

Earlier on Sunday, the BJP named its candidates for bypolls to 32 Assembly constituencies, which are spread across several states, to be held on October 21.

The central election committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finalised the names, it said in a statement. Of the 32 Assembly seats, 10 are in Uttar Pradesh, five in Kerala, four in Assam, two each in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Sikkim and one each in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana.

Bypolls will be held for 51 Assembly seats on October 21, along with the state elections in Haryana and Maharashtra. The BJP is likely to name the candidates for the remaining seats soon, it said.

(With PTI inputs)