Lok Sabha polls 2024: BJP releases first list of 195 candidates, PM Modi to contest from Varanasi

Lok Sabha polls 2024: BJP releases first list of 195 candidates, PM Modi to contest from Varanasi

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (March 2) released its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections that are set to take place in the month of May.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will again contest the polls from Varanasi.

Out of 195 candidates listed by the BJP, 34 are Ministers from the Centre and States, while two are former chief ministers.

While announcing the first list, BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde stated, “PM Modi to contest Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiran Rijiju to contest from Arunachal West, BJP MP Bishnu Pada Ray to contest from Andaman & Nicobar, BJP MP Tapir Gao to contest from Arunachal East, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to contest from Dibrugarh.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will contest from Gandhinagar whereas Mansukh Mandaviya will do so from Porbandar.

“The names of 195 candidates have been finalised. The list includes 47 youth candidates, 28 women candidates, 27 Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, 18 Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates and 57 OBC/Backward Class candidates. The party has announced the list keeping all communities in focus,” said Tawde.

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Key Points

– Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar will contest from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.

– Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is set to contest elections from Dibrugarh.

– Kiren Rijiju will be in fray from Arunachal Pradesh

– Former External Affairs minister, late Sushma Swaraj’s daughter Bansuri Swaraj is set to make her poll debut and has been fielded from New Delhi.

– Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will again contest elections from Lucknow

– Smriti Irani will contest to retain Amethi, a seat she wrested from Rahul Gandhi.

– Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni will contest the polls from Kheri.

– BJP leader Alok Sharma will contest from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.

– Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will contest from Vidisha.

– Jyotiraditya Scindia will contest from Guna in Madhya Pradesh.

-The list includes candidates from 16 states with 51 names from Uttar Pradesh.

-There were 47 candidates below the age of 50.

– Twenty-eight candidates were women

– Ninety two were from the non-general categories.

– Lok Sabha candidates for 5 Delhi seats were also announced by the party.

– BJP leader Manoj Tiwari will contest from North-East Delhi.

– Bansuri Swaraj from New Delhi.

– Kamaljeet Sehrawat from West Delhi and Ramvir Singh Bidhuri from South Delhi.

– Confederation of All India Traders chief Praveen Khandelwal will contest from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk.

– Pragya Singh Thakur has been dropped.

The early announcement of the candidates was made in a bid to give the nominees enough time for the election campaign.

(With inputs from agencies)