Heavyweights not to contest

The BJP, after a series of meetings on Monday, decided to keep its important campaigners and managers out of the poll battle for them to focus on their tasks. They include party chief M. Venkaiah Naidu, general secretaries Pramod Mahajan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Health Minister Sushma Swaraj and Law Minister Arun Jaitley. The selection of candidates will begin when the CEC meets on March 14 and 15. Mahajan said the state units have been told to send their recommendations by March 10.