NEW DELHI, March 18 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal has opted to rely less on turncoats and outsiders for the upcoming assembly elections, giving preference to the party loyalists and ensuring that intra-party differences do not end up hurting its electoral chances, said people aware of the details on Tuesday.

On Monday, the party released its first list of 144 candidates for the upcoming two-phase polls.

"This time we did not have people joining from other parties in large numbers. Ahead of the 2021 elections as many as 15-20 former TMC legislators led by [leader of the Opposition and former TMC leader] Suvendu Adhikari had switched loyalties to the BJP. There are many who have joined this time and many more who have...