Lok Sabha Election 2024: PM Modi, Other BJP Heavyweights on First 195 Candidates' List

Even before the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing the poll schedule, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, March 2, released its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections which are expected to be held in April or May this year. Of 195 candidates, 34 are Ministers from Centre and States while two are former Chief Ministers on the list.

Check Heavyweights in the BJP's First List for Lok Sabha Polls 2024:

PM Narendra Modi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will once again from his adobted and Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoing Lok Sabha election. He has won this constituency in the 2019 general elections and in 2014 as well. PM Modi defeated Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2014 and Samajwadi Party's Shalini Yadav in 2019 in Varanasi.

Amit Shah: Union Home Minister and former BJP chief Amit Shah, who had led the party to a thumping victory in the 2014 general elections, will contest from  Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP Announces First List of 195 Candidates, PM Modi To Contest From Varanasi.

Rajnath Singh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will contest from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Smriti Irani: Once again she recived Amethi, in 2019, Smriti Irani won against Rahul Gandhi in Congress stronghold constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

Jyotiraditya Scindia: Jyotiraditya Scindia, who joined the BJP from Congress in 2020, will contest from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, a constituency the former Congress leader had held since 2002 until his loss to the BJP's Krishna Pal Singh Yadav in 2019. This is the first time Scindia will fight on BJP ticket in Lok Sabha polls. Pragya Singh Thakur has been dropped in MP instead, Alok Sharma has been given ticket from Bhopal.

Shivraj Singh Chauhan: Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Vidisha. Chouhan has recently won Assembly elections in the state, but despite the victorious he wasn's made chief minister.

Kiren Rijiju: Rijiju will contest from Arunachal West. Rijiju currently holds the Earth Sciences portfolio in the Union Ministry. Since the BJP came to power for a 2nd term in 2019, Rijiju has spearheaded several key ministries like Law and youth affairs.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar: Thiruvananthapuram is likely to witness a clash of titans as Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a three-time Rajya Sabha, from the seat which is considered as Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s stronghold. BJP could not win any seat from Kerala in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. However, the party has announced 12 candidates from Kerala in the first list.

Hema Malini: Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini has been contesting elections from the Mathura seat since 2014. BJP repeated veteran Bollywood actor and present MP from the same seat. The saffron party also repeated Ajay Mishra Teni, Mahesh Sharma, SPS Baghel, and Sakshi Maharaj from Uttar Pradesh in upcoming polls. 

Bhupender Yadav: A seasoned BJP leader known for his adept handling of challenges, steps into his maiden Lok Sabha election from Alwar, Rajasthan. 

Also Read | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP Releases First List of Names, Know Who Are Retained and Who Are Dropped.

Ajay Mishra Teni: Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, the father of Ashish Misra, the key accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, has been fielded again by the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Khiri.

The announcement of the candidate list follows a marathon meeting of the BJP's Central Election Committee (CEC) on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP's National President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Organisation General Secretary BL Santosh, Chief Ministers, State Presidents, In-charges, Co-Incharges, and Election In-charges of various states were present in this meeting. Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Assam, Uttarakhand, and Goa were present at the meeting.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi secured a victory in Varanasi with 6,74,664 against Congress's Ajay Rai. NDA won a total of 303 seats, leaving the grand-old party behind at 52 seats.

(With inputs from agencies)