BHOPAL: State BJP president VD Sharma, after inducting youths into the team of party office-bearers, wants to field young candidates in the ensuing urban bodies’ elections. The BJP plans to impose an age bar on candidates for the posts of mayor and those of corporator. For mayors, the age limit will be 55 years, and, for corporators, it will be 45. In exceptional cases, the age limit can be relaxed, but the efforts of the party will be to field young candidates in the ensuing civic polls. According to sources in the BJP, the age limit may be relaxed if good women candidates are not available for reserved seats. Besides, the BJP will take the anti-incumbency factor into account before selecting candidates. Therefore, the party will field as many young candidates as possible.
In the last civic elections, the party had spoken of age limit for candidates, but it could not be implemented at the time of distributing tickets. But, this time, Sharma has made up his mind to give an opportunity to youths. This is the reason why he has inducted youths into his team. If the age limit is implemented, many aspirants will be out of the contest. According to Sharma, only youths are given a chance in every place these days.
The BJP continues to make amendments with the change of time, so the same criterion will be followed in the ensuing civic polls, too, he said. In 2014, the BJP had won all the 16 municipal corporations. Apart from the corporations, the party controlled most of the Nagar Palikas and Nagar Parishads. The party is working on this strategy and going to play the youth card.
The party fielded all new candidates in the Delhi Municipal Corporation elections, which gave good results. The BJP is going to opt for a similar formula for the civic polls in Madhya Pradesh to win as many seats as possible.
