The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Central Election Committee (CEC) convened its second meeting to finalize the list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Key leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assessed potential candidates for 99 seats across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Chandigarh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP Chief JP Nadda held multiple meetings with state leaders to compile a list of probable candidates before the CEC’s decisive meeting. Earlier, the party had released its initial list of 195 candidates, featuring heavyweights like PM Modi, Amit Shah, and others.
Notably, the absence of Union Railways Minister Nitin Gadkari from the first list led to tensions with Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray suggesting Gadkari join the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). However, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis assured Gadkari’s inclusion in the party’s list for Maharashtra.
Alliance Dynamics in Haryana and Andhra Pradesh
Ahead of the CEC meeting, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, a Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader, discussed seat distribution with BJP supremo JP Nadda. The JJP had allied with the BJP after the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections, where the BJP secured all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP formed an alliance with Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party (JSP). The allies settled on a seat-sharing agreement, with BJP contesting six Lok Sabha seats, TDP getting 17, and JSP securing two seats. TDP’s return to the BJP-led NDA marked a shift after quitting the alliance in 2018.
Of the 195 Lok Sabha candidates in the BJP’s initial list, two candidates, Bhojpuri singer Pawan Singh and Upendra Rawat, withdrew from the race due to controversies. Pawan Singh withdrew from Bengal’s Asansol following controversy over inappropriate references in his discography, while Upendra Rawat opted out of Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki constituency after a compromising video went viral.
The BJP’s candidate selection process remains a dynamic and closely-watched aspect as the Lok Sabha elections draw nearer.
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