Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have begun the hunt for candidates to contest bypolls to the Bhandara-Gondia and Palghar Lok Sabha seats scheduled to be held on 28 May. Last week, reiterating their resolve to form a pre-poll alliance against the BJP, the Congress and the NCP decided to contest the bypolls together. On 3 May, Wanga’s sons Shriniwas and Praful joined the Shiv Sena, claiming that the BJP leadership in state had ignored them after their father’s death. “But they will have to quit the Shiv Sena and join the BJP,” the BJP leader said. The BJP, which has a strong other backward class (OBC) support base here, is looking for a strong OBC candidate to help it retain the seat, the BJP leader cited above said.

Source: Mint May 06, 2018 18:33 UTC