The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its fifth list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Election on Sunday. The list comprises 111 candidates, including notable names from various fields.
Among the prominent figures included in the list are Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, who will be contesting from Mandi, and Arun Govil, renowned for his portrayal of Lord Ram in the popular TV serial Ramayan, who will be contesting from Meerut.
Kangana Ranaut, expressing her excitement at joining the political arena, conveyed her gratitude towards the BJP leadership. She stated, “My beloved Bharat and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has always had my unconditional support.” Her announcement drew attention as she affirmed her allegiance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party.
However, the list also brought about notable exclusions. Varun Gandhi, a familiar face in Uttar Pradesh politics, was dropped from the candidate list, while his mother Maneka Gandhi retained her candidacy for Sultanpur. Additionally, former Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde was omitted from the list for the Uttara Kannada constituency, and Union Minister Ashwini Choubey faced a similar fate in Buxar.
The BJP’s strategy also included introducing fresh faces into the electoral fray. Sita Soren, a newcomer, has been nominated to contest from Dumka. Furthermore, Naveen Jindal, who recently switched allegiance from the Congress to the BJP, has been fielded from Kurukshetra in Haryana. The BJP has fielded Rekha Patra from Basirhat in Bengal. She is one of the victims of Sandeshkhali, who suffered at the hands of Sheikh Shahjahan.
However, amidst these announcements, the absence of Gen VK Singh (retd) was notable. Singh had declared his withdrawal from electoral politics just hours before the release of the fifth list.
The list garnered attention not only for its inclusions but also for the diverse profiles of the candidates. Notable mentions from the list include Nityanand Rai from Ujiarpur, Giriraj Singh from Begusarai, and Ravi Shankar Prasad from Patna Sahib, among others.
With the BJP’s latest list of candidates, the political landscape for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections continues to evolve, setting the stage for a dynamic and closely contested electoral battle.
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