BJP adds a dash of glamour, drops some big names in its fifth list of candidates

With little over three weeks left for the first phase of polling to take place in the upcoming general elections, the ruling BJP added a touch of glamour quotient by naming the likes of Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil who will be making their electoral debut in the party’s fifth list of candidates on Sunday.

Taking advantage of the political momentum in its favour, the BJP has already announced the names of more than 400 candidates who will be contesting on BJP ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

While Kangana will contest from Mandi constitueny in Himachal Pradesh, TV actor Arun Govil, who played the role of Lord Rama in Ramayana, has been fielded from Meerut constituency. The BJP leadership believes that Govil will help mobilise support for the party in the aftermath of consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Govil replaces veteran BJP leader Rajendra Agarwal, who represented the constituency since 2009 Lok Sabha polls and headed the joint parliamentary committee on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016.

Mass appeal

“The film stars who have been asked to contest will help the BJP garner support not just in their own constituency but also in neighbouring seats. For instance, Kangana will not only help the BJP in her own constituency but also across Himachal Pradesh and nationally too because of her popularity,” BJP spokesperson RP Singh told The Federal.

The BJP has also given ticket to industrialist Naveen Jindal who will contest from Kurukshetra constituency in Haryana which was earlier represented by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. Jindal was allotted ticket soon after he quit the Congress and joined the BJP.

Among other prominent names who have been asked to contest are Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who will be contesting from Sambalpur constituency in Odisha, Bijayant Jay Panda from Kendrapara, and Sambit Patra from Puri. The BJP leadership has also asked former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to contest from Rajampet while also fielding D Purandeshwari from Rajamundry constituency in Andhra Pradesh.

“The BJP leadership has already announced the names of over 400 candidates and very soon we will come out with the next list. We want to finish the process of ticket distribution at the earliest so that candidates can concentrate on campaigning,” added Singh.

The BJP leadership also decided not to take any chance in the states like Bihar where it has fielded sitting MPs in 14 out of the 17 seats the BJP is contesting. In Uttar Pradesh too, the BJP has already announced names of at least 64 candidates.

Major changes

In a major decision, the BJP leadership has decided to drop Varun Gandhi, a three-time parliamentarian from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh while allotting ticket to his mother Maneka Gandhi from Sultanpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

Similarly, Union ministers VK Singh and Ashwini Kumar Choubey have been dropped from Ghaziabad and Buxar constituencies, respectively. Another Union minister who has been dropped is Santosh Kumar Gangwar who did not get a ticket from Bareilly constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Sitting BJP MP from Uttar Kanada constituency in Karnataka, Anant Kumar Hegde, has also been dropped. Former Union minister SS Ahluwalia will also not contest election from the Bardhaman Durgapur constituency.

“I have decided that I will not contest the 2024 general elections. I will continue to serve the people of the country in a new way. I thank the people of the country for supporting me for the past 10 years,” tweeted VK Singh after he announced that he would not contest the Lok Sabha polls.

With the announcement of the fifth list of candidates, the BJP leadership has already announced at least 64 candidates in Uttar Pradesh, making it clear to its allies that the BJP will contest the maximum number of seats in Uttar Pradesh and all across the country as most of the NDA partners are dependent on the BJP’s performance for their own triumph in the electoral arena.