BJP opts for opinion poll to choose candidates

Mangaluru: As part of an internal democracy process, the BJP held an opinion poll to finalise candidates in eight assembly constituencies of Dakshina Kannada district on Friday.
BJP state spokesperson MG Mahesh told reporters here on Friday that the electoral college for the internal democracy in each assembly constituency comprises about 220 voters, including party office bearers as well as incumbent and former elected representatives in each constituency.
“The BJP has introduced the internal democracy system for the first time. Office bearers of the party assembly committees, shakti kendras, elected members, and former members of the zilla panchayat, taluk panchayat, MLAs and MLCs participated in the voting. They have been asked to suggest the names of three best candidates for their respective constituencies. The district core committee will send the report to the state core committee and a final decision will be taken by the party’s national parliamentary board,” Mahesh said, adding that the process will be completed within seven days.
“It is necessary for the BJP, which has grown into a mass movement, to seek opinion of the workers before fielding candidates in elections. Hence, an opinion poll has been carried out in all the 224 assembly constituencies in the state. The electoral college in the state has 18,948 party workers, who were given ballot papers to sugget the names of three candidates,” Mahesh added.