New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS): The BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC) will meet next week for the second time to finalise candidates for Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

In its first meeting on Thursday, the BJP CEC has finalised candidates for 172 Assembly seats of Uttar Pradesh where polling will be held in the first three phases.

Goa has already recommended shortlisted names to the party's CEC for approval, and Uttarakhand will be sending shortlisted names in a day or two.

While several rounds of meetings for Uttar Pradesh have been held in Lucknow and in the national capital. On Thursday, the BJP CEC meeting to finalise candidates for Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls was held in hybrid mode as few of the CEC members, including party chief J.P. Nadda, have tested positive for Covid-19.

Sources said that the next meeting of the BJP CEC is likely to be held mid next week to finalise more candidates of Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, and Uttarakhand.

"Depending on the health of CEC members, the decision to hold meetings physically or in hybrid form will be decided," a party leader said.

Before Thursday, a lot of discussion and deliberation took place in meetings chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Assembly polls will be held in seven phases in February-March starting from February 10, while in Punjab, Goa, and Uttarakhand elections will be held on February 14, and in Manipur, it will also be in two phases - on February 27 and March 3.

Counting of votes will take place on March 10.