New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unveiled its second list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, featuring prominent Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, and Anurag Singh Thakur, alongside three former chief ministers, including Haryana’s Manohar Lal Khattar. This announcement came on Wednesday, with significant changes and additions to the party’s roster for the electoral battle ahead.
Among the notable inclusions, Manohar Lal Khattar and Piyush Goyal are set to make their Lok Sabha debut, contesting from Karnal in Haryana and Mumbai North respectively. Additionally, former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and former Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat will vie for victory from Haveri and Haridwar constituencies respectively.
An interesting development is the nomination of BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni for the Garhwal constituency, marking his first foray into the Lok Sabha elections. This decision sees him replace former Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat on the party ticket.
Furthermore, Nitin Gadkari and Anurag Singh Thakur are seeking re-election from Nagpur in Maharashtra and Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh respectively, reaffirming the party’s trust in their leadership.
In a strategic move, Pankaja Munde has been selected as the candidate for the Beed constituency in Maharashtra, succeeding her sister and incumbent MP Pritam Munde.
The list of 72 candidates announced by the BJP encompasses a diverse geographical spread, with significant representation from states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.
Tejasvi Surya, the BJP youth wing president, will contest again from Bangalore South, while Union minister Shobha Karandlaje has been relocated from Udupi Chikmagalur to Bangalore North. This seat was previously held by former Union minister and Karnataka chief minister Sadananda Gowda.
In a significant shift, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysore royal family replaces Pratap Simha as the BJP candidate in the Mysore seat.
In Karnataka, former BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel has been replaced by Brijesh Chowta in the Dakshina Kannada constituency.
Delhi witnesses two new faces in Harsh Malhotra from East Delhi and Yogendra Chandolia from North West Delhi, with Gautam Gambhir and Hans Raj Hans being dropped as sitting MPs by the party.
Ashok Tanwar, a recent entrant to the BJP, replaces sitting MP Sunita Duggal in Sirsa, Haryana. Union ministers Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar are set to seek re-election from Gurgaon and Faridabad respectively.
The BJP’s first list of candidates for 195 Lok Sabha seats, released on March 2, included heavyweights like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh. However, controversies arose when Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh and Upendra Rawat withdrew their candidatures.
With these announcements, the BJP gears up for a spirited electoral campaign, strategically positioning its candidates to secure victory across various constituencies.
