In the city of Gorakhpur, located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the renowned Bhojpuri filmstar, Ravi Kishan, conveyed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has once again entrusted him by nominating him from Gorakhpur for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This constituency has been under his stewardship since the 2019 elections.
The BJP, on a Saturday announcement, unveiled its initial roster of 195 candidates, with PM Modi set to contest from Varanasi once more. This marks his third consecutive run from the Varanasi seat. In 2014, he triumphed over AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, and in 2019, secured victory against Samajwadi Party’s Shalini Yadav.
Expressing his gratitude, Ravi Kishan stated, “I want to extend my wholehearted thanks to the top leadership… The organization has given me a second opportunity from this pivotal seat after Kashi. My sincere appreciation goes out to the entire organization and Prime Minister Modi. I am committed to upholding this trust… BJP is poised to win 400 seats, and the Gorakhpur seat will etch its name in history.”
Ravi Kishan, a prominent figure in Bhojpuri cinema, is set to re-enter the political arena in Gorakhpur, a stronghold associated with Yogi Adityanath, the current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath held this seat until 2017. In the 2019 elections, Ravi Kishan secured a victory with a lead exceeding 3 lakh votes against SP candidate Rambhual Nishad.
The BJP’s announcement comprised 195 candidates for the impending Lok Sabha polls. Following an extensive meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the list included notable figures such as Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, contesting from their current Gandhinagar and Lucknow seats, respectively.
Among the 195 candidates, the BJP incorporated 28 women, 47 youth, 27 Scheduled Castes, 18 Scheduled Tribes, and 57 OBCs. The distribution spanned across various states, with 51 candidates in Uttar Pradesh, 24 in Madhya Pradesh, 15 each in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and so forth.
Prime Minister Modi encouraged senior ministers from the Rajya Sabha to participate in the Lok Sabha elections, resulting in the fielding of Union Ministers like Bhupender Yadav, Mansukh Mandaviya, Parshottam Rupala, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and V Muraleedharan in different constituencies.
Despite the party’s affirmation of continuity for certain Union Ministers in their current seats, there were notable changes in Delhi. Manoj Tiwari, the incumbent Lok Sabha member from northeast Delhi, retained his position, while Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi was succeeded by Basuri Swaraj, the daughter of the late BJP veteran Sushma Swaraj, in New Delhi.
Noteworthy figures like former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla were nominated to contest from Vidisha, Dibrugarh, and Kota, respectively.
The list showcased the BJP’s strategic maneuvering, with 34 Ministers from the Centre and States, along with two former Chief Ministers, securing nominations. The Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, was set to contest from Porbandar. Additionally, Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal formalized its alliance with the BJP-led NDA alliance, presenting another challenge to opposition unity in the impending Lok Sabha polls.