BJP's fifth list: 37 MPs ousted, actors and ex-Congress figures nominated - unexpected moves
PTC News Desk: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stirred the political pot with its fifth list of 111 Lok Sabha election candidates, presenting a mix of surprises and strategic moves. Among the major shake-ups, the party has decided to drop 37 sitting MPs, including notable names such as union ministers Ashwini Kumar Choubey, VK Singh, and Varun Gandhi, who has been axed from Pilibhit constituency.
Adding to the unexpected twists, the BJP has introduced actors Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil as its candidates, reflecting a blend of star power and political strategy.
1. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will contest from Sambalpur, while BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra steps into the fray in Puri, aiming to overturn his 2019 election defeat.
2. Anantkumar Hegde, a six-time MP from Karnataka, has been omitted from the list after his controversial remarks about the Constitution sparked uproar.
3. The party has opted not to offer tickets to 37 MPs, including nine from Uttar Pradesh, five from Gujarat, and four from Odisha, Bihar, Karnataka, and Jharkhand each.
4. Notable leaders who joined the BJP from other parties find their names on the list, including Sita Soren, Tapas Roy, and N Kiran Kumar Reddy. Former Congress stalwarts Naveen Jindal and Jitin Prasada are set to contest from Kurukshetra and Pilibhit, respectively.
5. Kerala BJP president K Surendra will challenge Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad.
6. Rekha Patra, identified by party leaders as a victim of the Sandeshkhali incident, will contest from West Bengal's Basirhat constituency.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh secures a BJP ticket from Begusarai, and former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will contest from Patna Sahib.
7. Union ministers R K Singh and Nityanand Rai retain their seats in the upcoming elections.
8. Varun Gandhi's exclusion from Pilibhit sees his mother, Maneka Gandhi, renominated from Sultanpur.
9. Atul Garg replaces two-term MP VK Singh in Ghaziabad.
10. Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut steps into the political arena from Mandi, while Arun Govil, famed for portraying Lord Ram in Ramayan, contests from Meerut.
11. Sita Soren, sister-in-law of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, emerges as the BJP's candidate from Dumka after quitting the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
12. Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar will represent Belgaum.
13. Former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay enters the political arena from Bengal's Tamluk, while Dilip Ghosh shifts from Medinipur to Bardhaman–Durgapur constituency, surprising many.
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(Inputs from agencies)
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