Lok Sabha Elections 2024: In view of the Lok Sabha elections, BJP has released its second list of candidates on Wednesday. Unlike before, there was no press conference; instead, the list of candidates was directly issued.
The BJP has played several gambits in this list. Candidates have been fielded on 72 seats across 10 states.
Some new faces have been prioritised in several states, while trust has been placed on existing names in others.
Let's look closer at where and to whom the BJP's attention is directed in this second list and what strategies are being formed based on these intricate details.
As soon as the list was unveiled, the most prominent name in it was Nitin Gadkari, who currently holds the charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the country.
Once again Nitin Gadkari has been selected as BJP candidate from Nagpur. Gadkari's name is also important because due to his absence in the first list, Uddhav Thackeray was continuously engaged in political manoeuvres.
Thackeray had started playing a political game, offering Gadkari to leave the BJP and join his party, making an open offer to contest the elections together.
The second prominent name in this list is Piyush Goyal. Piyush Goyal, who comes from Rajya Sabha, has been made the candidate from Mumbai North, where Gopal Shetty's ticket has been cut.
As soon as the name appeared in the list, Piyush Goyal wrote that he had spoken to Gopal Shetty on phone and taken his blessings.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur has once again been made a candidate from the Hamirpur seat of Himachal Pradesh. Anurag Thakur, who has been winning from Hamirpur since 2007, is contesting from this seat for the fifth time.
Another important name is that of Anil Baluni, who has been made the candidate from the Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency. BJP's national media in-charge Anil Baluni getting the ticket from Garhwal seat means that the ticket of former Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has been cancelled. Baluni has been active in politics since the age of 26.
A day after stepping down as Haryana Chief Minister, along with his Cabinet colleagues, former Chief Minister and BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar was on Wednesday named as the BJP candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Manohar Lal Khattar, who has been the Chief Minister of Haryana twice, has been fielded from Karnal Lok Sabha seat of Haryana.
The BJP unveiled its first list of 195 candidates on March 2nd. With the addition of the new list, the party has now announced a total of 267 candidates.