National Desk, 1st March: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reportedly concluded the selection of a hundred Lok Sabha candidates after a late-night meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Thursday. Sources indicate that the first list is poised to be announced in the coming days.
The list will prominently feature high-profile candidates, including PM Modi himself contesting from Varanasi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah from Gujarat’s Gandhinagar, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from Lucknow. Additionally, emphasis will be placed on addressing the ‘weak’ seats lost by narrow margins in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Key states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, Kerala, and Telangana were the focal points of the BJP’s deliberations during Thursday’s late-night meeting.
There is speculation that Union Ministers, who are also Rajya Sabha MPs, may contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections slated for April-May. Among them are Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister Sarbanand Sonowal, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan.
The BJP’s candidate list will also introduce fresh faces, including several women. Notably, Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh is being considered to challenge Trinamool Congress MP and Bollywood legend Shatrughan Sinha in West Bengal’s Asansol district.
Thursday’s meeting, chaired by PM Modi, extended for over four hours and focused on finalizing the initial list of BJP candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Attendees included BJP chief JP Nadda, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh, among others.
In a previous meeting last week, top BJP leaders convened to strategize on addressing the challenges posed by ‘weak seats’ in the upcoming general elections, demonstrating the party’s proactive approach towards electoral preparedness.
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