BJP to finalise candidates by March 15

The Bharatiya Janata Party's list of candidates for the assembly and Lok Sabha elections would be announced by March 15 and most sitting MPs would be renominated, party leaders said today.

However, the name of candidates for the two seats the Bharatiya Janata Partyhopes to win in Haryana ""Sonepat and Mahendragarh "" were made public today by Health Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Addressing a press conference in Chennai, Bharatiya Janata PartyPresident M Venkaiah Naidu said the Central Election Committee of the party would clear the list of candidates state-wise beginning March 10 and finish its deliberations by March 15.

The state election committees of the Bharatiya Janata Party have been asked to submit their recommendations before March 5.

Not a separate BJP manifesto but a "vision document", containing the policies and programmes of the Bharatiya Janata Party and allies would be issued, he said.

Naidu evaded answering a question on whether the ADMK was part of the NDA.

"We have entered into a seat sharing agreement with them. I can only say this," he said. Naidu also called on ADMK supremo Jayalalithaa at her residence for the first time after the BJP and the ADMK entered into a seat-sharing arrangement.