2024 LS elections: BJP announces 1st list of 195 candidates
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday announced its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will contest from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, for the third time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will again run from Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The list included the names of 34 central ministers and ministers of state, along with two former chief ministers, said General Secretary Vinod Tawde of the BJP.
Why does this story matter?
Interestingly, the announcement was made even before the dates for the general election and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) were announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The early announcement of candidates would give the BJP candidates a headstart since they would have about 50 days to campaign. This time, the party has set a target of winning over 370 Lok Sabha seats and more than 400 seats for its National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Candidate list features ministers, women, young leaders
Notably, this first list of BJP candidates features 28 women and 47 young leaders aged below 50 years old. Additionally, it includes 57 members from the Other Backward Class (OBC) community. Among the key states represented in the list are Uttar Pradesh with 51 candidates, West Bengal with 20 candidates, and Delhi with five names.
Look at some key candidates
In UP, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will run from Lucknow, Smriti Irani will contest from Amethi again, and Hema Malini from Mathura. Coming to Madhya Pradesh, Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia will contest from Guna, while former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been named as the candidate from Vidisha. Meanwhile, former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal has been fielded from Dibrugarh. On the other hand, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been named from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Bansuri Swaraj among Delhi candidates; Mandaviya running from Porbandar
For Delhi, the BJP has chosen candidates such as Praveen Khandelwal, Manoj Tiwari, and Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of the late party stalwart Sushma Swaraj. Moreover, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, previously elected from the Rajya Sabha, will run for office in Porbandar, Gujarat. Announcing the list, Tawde said the BJP is certain that it will form the government for the third time under PM Modi's leadership, with a much larger mandate.
Here's the full list of BJP's 195 candidates
BJP's past performance, target for 2024 polls
The BJP won 303 seats in the 2019 elections but currently has only 290 members in the Lok Sabha due to various reasons, including MPs resigning after winning assembly elections. Earlier, in the 2014 elections, the BJP won 282 seats, while its NDA won 336 seats. Tawde has said, "[PM Modi] set 370 (seats) target for the BJP alone and the aim is to expand more geographical areas and also to strengthen NDA. We are confident of a third term."