The political landscape of Bihar is witnessing heightened activity as the BJP is poised to make significant changes in its candidate selection for the upcoming assembly elections. The party is reportedly planning to replace approximately 30% of its existing candidates. This strategic move is driven by a comprehensive evaluation process, involving local surveys, ground-level feedback, and an assessment of incumbent performance and public perception. The decision also considers factors like the age of current representatives, with a focus on identifying candidates who can effectively counter anti-incumbency factors.
The BJP is contemplating withdrawing tickets from around 15-20 sitting MLAs and refraining from re-nominating the 13 candidates who lost in the 2020 elections. This approach could lead to a considerable shift, with new faces potentially representing 30-35% of the total candidates. To this end, the party is focusing on clean-image, young, and energetic candidates to counteract anti-incumbency. The selection process will involve in-depth scrutiny of each constituency.
The party’s evaluation process involves receiving recommendations from multiple potential candidates for each constituency. The final selection will be made after reviewing survey reports, district presidents’ feedback, and past election performance. The party is placing emphasis on the selection of winning candidates, considering the existing MLAs’ performance, and prioritizing new and younger faces to reduce anti-incumbency sentiment. Central Home Minister Amit Shah is set to commence a tour of Bihar on September 18, during which these matters will be thoroughly reviewed.