BJP Releases Second List Of 72 Candidates For Lok Sabha Elections 2024

The BJP on Wednesday released its second list of 72 candidates, featuring prominent figures such as Manohar Lal Khattar, Nitin Gadkari, Anurag Thakur, Piyush Goyal, and Tejasvi Surya, among others. On Monday, BJP's Central Election Committee's (CEC) second meeting was held in the national capital, where the names of the candidates were finalised.

During Monday's Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior party leaders reviewed the final list of potential candidates. Prior to the meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda conducted several discussions with state leaders to finalize the list of potential candidates.

Anurag Singh Thakur has been nominated from the Hamirpur seat in Himachal Pradesh, while Nitin Gadkari will contest from Nagpur. Pralhad Joshi has been selected to represent Dharwad, Piyush Goyal from Mumbai North, and MoS Shobha Karandlaje from Bangalore North. Tejasvi Surya has been named as the candidate for Bangalore South, and Trivendra Singh Rawat will contest from Haridwar.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who recently resigned from his post, will contest from the Karnal Lok Sabha seat. Ashok Tanwar, a former AAP leader, has joined the BJP and will contest from Sirsa.

Rao Inderjit Singh Yadav has been chosen to contest from Gurgaon, while Minister of State of Heavy Industries Kishan Pal Gurjar will represent Faridabad. Pankaja Munde will contest from Beed in Maharashtra, MoS Bharati Pravi Pawar from Dindori, Raosaheb Dadarao Danve from Jalna, and Sudhir Mungantiwar from Chandrapur.

Mysore MP Pratap Simha, involved in the recent Parliament security breach incident, has been replaced by Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysore royal family. B Y Raghavendra, son of former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, will contest from Shimoga, and former Karnataka CM Basavarj Bommai will stand from the Haveri seat.

BJP chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni has been nominated to contest from Garhwal in Uttarakhand.

In Delhi, the BJP has replaced six out of its seven sitting MPs. Harsh Malhotra will contest from East Delhi, and Yogendra Chandolia from North West Delhi.

BJP leader Vivek Sahu will face Nakul Nath, son of former MP CM Kamal Nath, in Chindwara.

The BJP's Central Election Committee convened for its second meeting on Monday to finalize candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, with senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reviewing the list of potential candidates across various states.

Earlier, on March 2, the BJP had issued its inaugural list comprising 195 candidates from 16 states and two Union Territories (UT). Notable inclusions were Prime Minister Narendra Modi contesting from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and Home Minister Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The initial list boasted 34 Union ministers and two former chief ministers.

However, two candidates from the first list have withdrawn their nominations due to controversy. Bhojpuri musician Pawan Singh withdrew from the Asansol constituency in Bengal after facing criticism for derogatory remarks against Bengali women in his music. Similarly, Upendra Rawat withdrew from the Barabanki constituency in Uttar Pradesh following the circulation of a viral video allegedly showing him in a compromising situation with a foreign lady.

With unprecedented confidence, the BJP gears up for the forthcoming elections, which are expected to be announced soon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ambitiously set a target of securing 370 seats solely for the party and surpassing 400 seats in alliance with the NDA coalition.