The Bharatiya Janata Party held a series of meetings on Friday to finalise the list of candidates for the second phase of the urban local bodies polls as the party is grappling with the issue of rebel candidates contesting elections as independents.

Two meetings were held on Friday. In the morning, a meeting was held at the party headquarters where BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, organising secretary Dharampal Singh and party in-charge Radhamohan Singh along with office-bearers gave a final shape to the list.

In the evening, another meeting was held at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s residence where besides the party state president, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak were also present.

“The emphasis is on selecting only the winnable candidates and therefore the party leadership is taking all pains to ensure that leaders who are popular get the tickets,” a BJP leader said.

The urban local bodies elections, supposed to be the last major polls in Uttar Pradesh before the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections, have been embroiled in a row with party candidates denied tickets contesting as rebel candidates.

Former deputy chief minister Dr Dinesh Sharma, who was mayor twice, has been given the task to placate the rebel candidates in Lucknow. He spoke to some and was able to convince them to withdraw their nomination papers while some refused to withdraw their papers.

Dilip Srivastava, the former corporator from Maithili Sharan ward, who is contesting election as an independent, told this reporter that he was denied ticket on the direction of a former minister who is currently an MLA. “I am still a BJP worker and enjoy the support of the people,” he said.

Elections are to be held in 17 municipal corporations, 199 municipal councils and 517 nagar panchayats. Of these 288 seats are reserved for women, 205 for Other Backward Classes, 110 for Scheduled Caste and two for Scheduled Tribe candidates.