New Delhi: In preparation for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has followed the Congress party’s lead by unveiling its second roster of candidates. The list, comprising 72 nominees, includes notable figures such as former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is set to contest from the Karnal Lok Sabha constituency.
Key Candidates:
- Manohar Lal Khattar will represent the party in Karnal.
- Union Minister Piyush Goyal is also featured on the list.
- Anil Baluni is slated to contest from Garhwal.
- Anurag Thakur has been allowed to run from Hamirpur.
Additional Nominations:
- Ashok Tanwar has been allocated the Sirsa ticket.
- Rao Inderjit Singh will run from Gurugram.
- Krishna Pal Gurjar is the candidate for Faridabad.
- Banto Kataria, spouse of the late MP Ratanlal Kataria, will contest from Ambala.
The candidate selection process involved extensive deliberations during the BJP election committee meeting, which took place on Monday evening. The meeting was chaired by BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda and was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Discussions centered around candidates from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Haryana.
Andhra Pradesh Focus:
There was a particular emphasis on the candidacy for eight seats in Andhra Pradesh, with decisions made to field:
- D. Purandeswari
- Y. Satya Kumar
- Former CM Kiran Kumar Reddy
- CM Ramesh
- YS Chowdary
First List Recap:
The BJP’s initial list was released on March 2, announcing 195 candidates, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will once again seek election from the Varanasi constituency. The first list featured prominent names such as Kiren Rijiju, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Amit Shah. Dr. Abdul Salam, the sole Muslim nominee on the first list, was assigned the Malappuram seat in Kerala. Other significant candidacies include former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan from Vidisha and Arjunram Meghwal from the Bikaner (SC) constituency.
With the release of its second list, the BJP continues to build its lineup of candidates, showcasing a mix of seasoned politicians and new entrants, all poised to contest in the upcoming electoral battle.