Will Modi come to Tamil Nadu to bloom lotus? Major twist hidden in BJP's first list of candidates

NEW DELHI: The BJP will release the list of 100 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections today. The decision was taken after the marathon discussions held in Delhi. Reports are that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be included in the list. The meet was convened at Narendra Modi's house the other day. The meeting ended at 4 am.

Modi will seek mandate from Varanasi again, his own constituency in Uttar Pradesh. It is also reported that apart from Varanasi, he will contest from one constituency in South India. If so, Modi will contest from Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu.

The selection of candidates in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Gujarat is important for the BJP. It has been decided to field the best candidates in Kerala, where the party has not yet opened its account. Candidates in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Tamil Nadu will be announced only after discussions with allies.

Meantime, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will contest from Lucknow and Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia from Guna-Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh. BJP's aim is to announce 50 percent candidates before March 10.