The Bhartiya Janata Party will finalize its remaining candidates for about 230 seats this week in the remaining states and union territories. The committee is expected to convene this Friday, the 8th of March. It is worth noting that the BJP has already declared its 195 candidates in the initial list.
The focus of Friday's meeting will be on Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal, and other states where alliances can be formed. The remaining seats in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and other states might also be announced as the state branches have submitted their recommendations to the party. Since elections in Punjab and Haryana are typically held in later phases, this process may require some time. The BJP is currently in talks with the Akali Dal, but the farmers' movement is posing a challenge in these discussions.
What happened so far?
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, RCP Singh, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, D. V. Sadananda Gowda, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Prakash Javadekar, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Babul Supriyo, Sanjay Dhotre, Ratanlal Kataria, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, and Debashree Chaudhary did not get a chance after 2019. Only Thawarchand Gehlot became the Governor of Karnataka. Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant and Akali Dal's Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned. Due to the 'unwanted video,' Lok Sabha decided not to contest.
Barabanki: Upendrasinh Rawat, BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, stated that he will not participate in any election until proven innocent in the case of the offensive video going viral. The BJP has once again nominated Rawat from the Barabanki constituency in the first list.
34 sitting MPs, including four Union Ministers, were excluded from the list of 195 candidates. Additionally, an estimated 50-60 MPs may not retain their tickets. BJD secured victory in 12 Lok Sabha seats with 42.8% of the votes, while BJP won 8 seats with 38.4% of the votes. Congress managed to secure one seat with 13.4% of the votes.
BJPs Foray in Odisha
BJP's new venture in Odisha is set to coincide with the Lok Sabha elections in May 2024. Last-ditch attempts are underway as the BJP and the Biju Janata Dal leadership explore the possibility of allying with the upcoming assembly elections. Despite decades of rivalry between the two parties in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik share a warm relationship. Patnaik had consented to the Prime Minister's request for the Rajya Sabha seat for Ashwini Vaishnav from Odisha. During their recent meeting, the topic of a formal alliance or a potential compromise was raised.
2 setbacks for Congress in Gujarat
Ahmedabad: Gujarat Pradesh Congress Working President Ambarish Der resigned from the party on Monday. He will join the ruling BJP on Tuesday. Former state president of Congress in Gujarat Arjun Modhwadia resigned from the Legislative Assembly.