The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on March 2. The list features Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will contest from Varanasi. This early disclosure is seen as an attempt to apply pressure on its key rival, the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which is yet to finalize seat-sharing agreements.
The Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on February 29 played a crucial role in formally finalizing the initial list of candidates. Apart from PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah is set to contest from Gandhinagar in Gujarat, a seat the BJP has held since 1989. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will contest from Lucknow, and Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will stand from Guna-Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP aims to defend its stronghold, with PM Modi seeking re-election from Varanasi. The constituency has been a saffron bastion since 1991, except for a brief Congress victory in 2004. PM Modi's significant victories in 2014 and 2019, with margins of 3.7 lakh and nearly 4.8 lakh votes, respectively, add to the anticipation of a potential hat-trick.
Amit Shah's choice of Gandhinagar in Gujarat aligns with the BJP's historical dominance in the constituency. Having secured a decisive victory in 2019 by defeating Congress' Chaturainh Chavda with over 5.5 lakh votes, Shah aims to maintain the party's legacy in this region.
According to reports, the election committee of the Delhi BJP has submitted a list of 25-30 potential candidates for the seven seats within the capital. Notable names include Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and the late leader Sushma Swaraj's daughter Bansuri. Meenakshi Lekhi, Gautam Gambhir, and Hans Raj Hans are expected to play key roles in defending their respective seats.
The list also features former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, contesting from Dibrugarh, where he previously emerged victorious in 2004 with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
Several omissions and inclusions have caught attention. Fiery Bhopal MP Pragya Thakur was notably excluded from the inaugural list, raising questions about her role in defending her seat. Bhojpuri cinema star Ravikishan and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan are among the prominent names in the BJP's candidate list.
In a noteworthy move, the BJP strategically included candidates from southern states, providing them with around 50 days for campaigning ahead of the elections.