The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its second list of candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, featuring 72 nominees from 11 states. However, notably absent from the list was the declaration of a candidate for South Goa constituency. The decision-making process for the South Goa candidate has been marred by a series of revisions, oscillating between shortlists and delays.
Former Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, who tendered his resignation on Tuesday, is set to contest from the Karnal constituency. Additionally, Union Minister Piyush Goyal has been nominated for Mumbai North, while Anurag Thakur will represent Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh.
Tejasvi Surya, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha chief, is slated to contest from Bangalore South, while Pankaja Munde, the party’s national secretary, will vie for Maharashtra’s Beed, a stronghold of her family. Nitin Gadkari will seek re-election from Nagpur, and former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has been named as the candidate for Haveri.
In Karnataka, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi will compete from Dharwad, and B Y Raghavendra, the son of former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, will contest from Shimoga.
Furthermore, the BJP has chosen Harsh Malhotra for the East Delhi constituency and Yogendra Chandolia for North West Delhi.
The list boasts three former chief ministers: Manohar Lal Khattar from Haryana, Trivendra Singh Rawat from Uttarakhand, and Basavaraj Bommai from Karnataka.
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Wadiyar of the erstwhile Mysore royal family has been nominated to replace Pratap Simha as the BJP candidate in the Mysore seat. Another royal figure on the list is Kriti Singh Debbarma, who will represent Tripura East.
Earlier, on March 2, the BJP had unveiled its initial list of 195 candidates from 16 states and two Union Territories (UT). Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to contest from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and Home Minister Amit Shah from Gandhinagar in Gujarat. This list included 34 Union ministers and two former chief ministers.
As the elections draw closer, the BJP appears resolute and confident, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi setting a target of 370 seats for the party and over 400 for its NDA coalition.
