New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attended a meeting of the BJP's Central Election Committee ahead of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh next month. The Prime Minister has joined a meeting, held at the party's headquarters in Delhi through online, after 42 staff members tested positive for Covid yesterday.

Besides Prime Minister, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, both of whom have also tested positive for Covid, also joined virtually.

Home Minister Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, as well as his deputies Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya, are attended the meeting at party headquarters.

In the meeting party leaders have discussed to finalize party candidates for the first and second phases of the elections. Like more meetings will be held in future. Party will also conduct a separate meeting for the other four poll-bound states.

Party sources said that BJP central leadership is keen to field incumbent chief minister Yogi Adityanath either from Ayodhya or Gorakhpur Assembly constituencies. Currently, he is a member of the Legislative Council.  Earlier Mr. Yogi Adityanath has represented the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency for five terms.

Party is trying hard to overcome negative development over the exit of party seven MLAs including powerful OBC leaders, Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan.

BJP top leaders have also held a marathon meeting with its alliance partners including the Nishad Party and the Apna Dal, which was chaired by Amit Shah.

The BJP is trying to make an alliance with  Anupriya Patel of the Apna Dal and Sanjay Nishad of the Nishad Party, both party leaders have met Amit Shah yesterday to discuss seat-sharing.

In 2017 the BJP has given 11 seats to the Apna Dal and 8 seats to Omprakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party. Mr Rajbhar has joined hands with the Samajwadi Party in this election.