New Delhi, Mar 4 (IANS): The BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting started on Thursday evening to finalise party candidates for the first two phases of the Assembly polls in West Bengal and Assam. The meeting was still going on at the time of publishing this report.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national President J.P. Nadda, Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Jual Oram, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Bihar minister Shahnawaz Hussain, among others, were present in the meeting being held at the party headquarters here.

Sources said the CEC is likely to finalise candidates for the seats that will go to the polls in the first two phases -- 60 in West Bengal and 86 in Assam -- of Assembly elections on March 27 and April 1.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonawal, party state in-charge Baijayant Panda and other senior leaders were present at the meeting, besides Assam poll in-charge Narendra Singh Tomar and co-incharge Jitendra Singh.

From West Bengal, party state in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya, state unit chief Dilip Ghosh, Union ministers Babul Supriyo and Debasree Chaudhary, national Vice President Mukul Roy, Suvendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee were present at the meeting.