In the political landscape of New Delhi, a surprising twist unfolded as the BJP’s initial list of 195 candidates for the impending Lok Sabha elections excluded 33 incumbent MPs. This departure from convention, observed soon after significant state polls, has become somewhat of a norm for the ruling party at the Centre. Their ambitious goal this time around is to surpass the 400-seat mark.
Within this roster, the BJP unveiled its choices for 11 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. Among them, six are presently holding office, while the remaining five are newcomers to the political stage.
Silchar Lok Sabha constituency, secured by Rajdeep Roy in the 2019 general elections, will now see Parimal Suklabaidhya as the BJP’s representative. In the Autonomous District (ST) seat, currently under the stewardship of BBJP MP Horen Singh Bey, Amar Singh Tisso has been nominated to contest.
Gauhati Lok Sabha seat, currently held by Queen Oja, will see Bijuli Kalita Medhi as the BJP’s contender. In the Tezpur Lok Sabha seat, previously claimed by Pallab Lochan Das in 2019, Ranjit Dutta has been put forth.
Dibrugarh constituency will witness Union Minister Sarbanand Sonowal replacing sitting MP Rameswar Teli. Meanwhile, in Chhattisgarh, four out of the 11 BJP candidates for various seats are fresh faces.
From Janjgir Champa (SC) constituency, Kamlesh Jangde will represent the party, succeeding sitting MP Guharam Ajgalley. In Raipur, the seasoned Brijmohan Agrawal will be the BJP’s candidate, supplanting Sunil Kumar Soni, the 2019 seat holder.
Mahasamund seat in Chhattisgarh will see Roop Kumari Choudhary taking over the reins from sitting MP Chunni Lal Sahu. Additionally, on Kanker (ST) seat, Bhojraj Nag has been nominated as the BJP’s candidate, succeeding the incumbent Mohan Mandavi.
Delhi, with its five Lok Sabha seats, witnesses four replacements among the BJP candidates. Praveen Khandelwal has been chosen for Chandani Chowk Lok Sabha seat, displacing two-term MP and former Union minister Harsh Vardhan.
The West Delhi seat will see Kamaljeet Sehrawat stepping in for the two-term MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma. Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, emerges as the party’s candidate for New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, currently represented by Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi.
From South Delhi, the BJP has nominated Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, replacing Ramesh Bidhuri. Gujarat, with 15 Lok Sabha seats, witnesses the replacement of five sitting MPs among the BJP candidates.
Rekhaben Hiteshbhai Choudhary will contest from Banaskantha Lok Sabha seat, replacing sitting MP Prabhatbhai Savabhai Patel. On Ahmedabad West (SC) seat, Dineshbhai Kidarbhai Makwana will succeed three-term MP Kirit Solanki.
Rajkot Lok Sabha seat will now be contested by Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, replacing the incumbent Mohanbhai Kalyanji Kundariya. Mansukh Mandaviya is the BJP’s choice for the Porbandar seat, currently held by party MP Rameshbhai Lavjibhai Dhaduk.
In Panchmahal seat, BJP nominee Rajpalsinh Mahendrasinh Jadhav will replace sitting MP Ratansinh Magansinh Rathod. Jharkhand sees Manish Jaiswal nominated by the BJP for the Hazaribagh seat, currently occupied by Jayant Sinha, son of former Union minister Yashwant Sinha.
On Lohardaga (ST) seat, Samir Oraon takes the place of the three-time MP Sudarshan Bhagat. Madhya Pradesh, with its list of BJP candidates, shows a replacement of seven sitting MPs with new faces.
Bharat Singh Kushwaha is now the BJP’s choice for the Gwalior Lok Sabha seat, replacing sitting MP Vivek Narayan Shejwalker. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia steps in for Guna, ousting Krishnapal Singh Yadav.
Sagar Lok Sabha seat, currently held by Rajbahadur Singh, will now see Lata Wankhede as the BJP’s representative. Virendra Khatik is nominated for Tikamgarh (SC) seat. Vidisha MP Ramakant Bhargava is replaced by former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the same seat.
The Bhopal seat, currently occupied by Sadhvi Pragya Singh, will now have Alok Sharma as the BJP’s candidate. From Ratlam (ST) seat, currently held by BJP MP Guman Singh Damor, Anita Nagar Singh Chauhan will contest.
Rajasthan, with 15 Lok Sabha seats, witnesses the replacement of five sitting MPs by new faces in Churu, Bharatpur, Jalore, Udaipur, and Banswara constituencies.
Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb emerges as the BJP’s candidate for the Tripura West seat, currently held by party MP Pratima Bhoumik. In West Bengal, the BJP replaces its Alipurduar MP John Barla with Manoj Tigga for the Scheduled Tribe-reserved constituency.