The BJP on Monday announced its lists of candidates for the upcoming elections in Goa, Punjab and, most significantly, 149 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

A pronounced feature in the BJP’s first list for western UP is a preference for non-Yadav OBCs, especially the Kushwahas, Kurmis and Sainis, besides a smattering of upper castes and a few Jats.

The BJP’s young national secretary, Shrikant Sharma, who is a favourite of party president Amit Shah, was picked to contest from his home town Mathura while the party also fielded its sitting MLAs and accused in 2013 Muzaffarnagar riot cases, Suresh Rana from Thana Bhawan and Sangeet Som from Sardhana.

Other prominent faces in the party’s first list included sitting MLA from Meerut and veteran leader Laxmikant Bajpai, former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh’s grandson Sandeep Singh from Atrauli, prominent Dalit face SP Singh Baghel from Tundla reserved constituency and sitting MLA from Saharanpur Nagar Rajiv Gumber.

Releasing the list, the party’s Central Election Committee’s Secretary JP Nadda said it has accommodated various sections of the society. The CEC had met last night to finalise candidates.

There was suspense over the fate of Union Home Minister and UP heavyweight Rajnath Singh’s son Pankaj Singh, whose name did not figure in the list. The BJP has withheld announcement of its candidates for some seats, including Sahibabad and Noida — two seats for which Pankaj’s name has been doing the rounds.

Polls for the 403 UP seats are taking place on February 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, March 4 and 8. The party’s CEC will meet again tomorrow to announce more candidates.