1. BJP reveals the second list of 72 Lok Sabha candidates, totaling 267 declared contenders.
2. Approximately 21% of incumbent MPs were omitted from re-nomination in the latest list.
3. Notable turnover in candidate selection as sitting MPs see a significant replacement.
New Delhi, March 14:Â The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its second list of 72 candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, bringing the tally of declared candidates to 267. Notably, nearly 21% of sitting MPs did not secure tickets from their respective constituencies.
In the initial list, 33 MPs were replaced out of 195 candidates named, while the second list saw the replacement of 30 MPs among the 72 candidates listed. Overall, 140 sitting MPs were retained, while 67 were not granted tickets, including two who chose not to contest.
The distribution of candidates in the second list includes 20 from Maharashtra and Karnataka each, seven from Gujarat, six from Telangana and Haryana each, five from Madhya Pradesh, and two each from Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, with one from Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Delhi: In the national capital, only one sitting MP, Manoj Tiwari from North East Delhi, retained his candidacy. Notably, five of the six MPs dropped this time, namely Harsh Vardhan, Meenakshi Lekhi, Pravesh Sahib Singh, and Ramesh Bidhuri, who have held their seats since 2014.
Maharashtra: The BJP declared candidates for 20 out of the 23 seats won in the 2019 elections in Maharashtra. Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, and Raosaheb Danve are among those announced. Of the 20 names, 14 MPs were repeated, while five had their tickets canceled. Pankaja Munde replaced her sister Pritam Munde in the family stronghold of Beed.
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Gujarat: In Gujarat, only three out of seven sitting MPs were retained, with notable omissions such as Darshana Jardosh in Surat, where Mukesh Bhai Chandrakant Dalal will contest.
Haryana: Similarly, in Haryana, three out of six sitting MPs secured tickets. The BJP fielded Banto Kataria from Ambala, replacing Anil Vij. Suneeta Duggal from Sirsa was replaced by Ashok Tanwar, a former Congress member.
Telangana: In Telangana, most of the candidates fielded by the BJP are defectors from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Congress, raising concerns among loyal party members.
Madhya Pradesh: Out of the five candidates from Madhya Pradesh, two MPs were retained, while two were dropped. The first list saw the exclusion of 10 sitting MPs, including Pragya Thakur from Bhopal.
Karnataka: In Karnataka, 11 MPs were replaced out of 20 declared candidates. Notably, Pratap Simha was replaced by Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysuru, and Shobha Karandlaje was moved to Bengaluru North. Former BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel was also dropped from the list.
The BJP’s candidate selection reflects a strategic recalibration, with significant changes observed across various states, indicating the party’s readiness for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
