Lok Sabha 2024: The BJP unveiled its second roster of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections on Wednesday, with a notable shift that saw the exclusion of 28 sitting MPs while welcoming three former Chief Ministers, nine Union Ministers, two Rajya Sabha MPs, and 15 women candidates.
In contrast to the first list released on March 2, which largely maintained continuity by retaining many incumbents, the latest list of 72 candidates reflects a strategic focus on winnability. This selection approach underscores a shift towards prioritizing candidates with strong prospects for victory. With this announcement, the BJP has finalized its candidate lineup for Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Tripura, and Uttarakhand.
Manohar Lal Khattar, who resigned as Haryana Chief Minister on Tuesday and subsequently vacated his Karnal Assembly seat, has been nominated as the BJP’s candidate for the Karnal Lok Sabha constituency.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will continue to represent Nagpur, while his counterpart Piyush Goyal, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, will contest from Mumbai North. Pralhad Joshi, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, retains his candidacy from Dharwad in Karnataka, while Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje moves from Udupi Chikmagalur to Bangalore North.
Anurag Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, seeks re-election from the Hamirpur constituency in Himachal Pradesh. Anil Baluni, the BJP’s media cell head and Rajya Sabha MP, will contest from Uttarakhand’s Garhwal constituency. Tejasvi Surya, the youth wing leader of the party, maintains his candidacy in Bangalore South.
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai enters the fray from Haveri, becoming the fifth former CM to receive a party ticket. The first list featured Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh) and Biplab Kumar Deb (Tripura), while the second list named Khattar, Bommai, and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who will contest for the Haridwar seat.
Rawat replaces former CM and Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in Haridwar.
The BJP Central Election Committee has decided on the following names for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
— BJP (@BJP4India) March 13, 2024
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/5ByPC2xoW1
The BJP’s second list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections brought several surprises across different constituencies. In Delhi, Harsh Malhotra and Yogendra Chandolia emerged as unexpected choices for East Delhi and North West Delhi, respectively.
In Maharashtra’s Beed constituency, Pankaja Munde replaced her late sister Pritam Munde, marking a significant change. Notably, the party dropped Sunita Duggal in Sirsa and fielded Ashok Tanwar, who recently joined BJP from AAP.
Another surprising move was the replacement of Union Minister Darshana Jardosh with Mukeshbhai Chandrakant Dalal in Surat. On the other hand, Union Ministers Rao Inderjit Singh, Krishan Pal Gurjar, Bhagwanth Khuba, and Bharati Pawar secured their places in the list.
Shiv Sena MP Kalaben Delkar received the BJP ticket from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, following her late husband’s legacy. Cardiac surgeon C N Manjunath, son-in-law of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, will contest from Bangalore Rural on the BJP ticket.
In Tripura, the BJP made significant changes by dropping its two sitting MPs. After Pratima Bhoumik made way for Biplab Kumar Deb in Tripura West, Maharani Kriti Singh Debbarma secured the ticket for the Tripura East seat, reserved for ST.
In Mysore, Pratap Simha, who faced controversy over providing visitor passes to individuals who disrupted Parliament proceedings, has been replaced. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar of the erstwhile royal family has received the ticket.
Nalin Kateel has been replaced by Brijesh Chowta in Dakshin Kannada, and late party MP Rattan Lal Kataria’s wife Banto Kataria will contest from Ambala.
Gayathri Siddeshwara, wife of veteran party leader G M Siddeshwara, will replace him in Davanagere. B Y Vijayendra, son of former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, retains his candidacy in Shimoga.
The decision to field V Somanna in Tumkur, despite public disagreements with party leaders, has raised concerns. However, the party’s focus on winning seats has been emphasized, with a target of 370 seats set.
The list reflects the importance of the winnability factor. Candidates who lost in states where the BJP is strong have mostly been replaced, while those who performed well in challenging states like Telangana have been retained.
Notably, Nathansaha Kawreti has been replaced by Vivek Bunty Sahu in Chhindwara, while veteran BJP leader Hansraj Ahir has been replaced by Sudhir Mungantiwar in Chandrapur. Similarly, Ashwath Narayangowda has been replaced by CN Manjunath in Bengaluru (rural).
The BJP has shown favor to candidates who put up a strong fight in Telangana. M Raghunandan Rao, who stood third in Medak in 2019, has been fielded again. However, candidates with lower vote counts in Peddapalli, Nalgonda, and Mahabubabad have been replaced with new faces.