BJP announces second list of 72 candidates for Lok Sabha elections
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New Delhi: The BJP has unveiled its second list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, resolving a last-minute dispute over one seat each in Bihar.
The list, comprising 72 names, includes prominent figures like Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, Anurag Singh Thakur, and former Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Additionally, former Chief Ministers Trivendra Singh Rawat and Basavaraj Bommai have also been nominated.
There were negotiations over a Bihar seat just before the release of the list.
Candidates have been declared for various states, including Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu.
In Delhi, the BJP introduced new candidates - Harsh Malhotra from East Delhi and Yogendra Chandolia from North West Delhi. Karnataka, a state where the BJP holds significant influence, sees around 10 new faces, with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi contesting from Dharwad and BS Yediyurappa's son, BY Raghavendra, from Shimoga.
Maharashtra, sending the second-highest number of MPs to the Lok Sabha after Uttar Pradesh, has key figures like Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, and Pankaja Munde on the BJP's list. Gadkari was renominated from Nagpur, while Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal is fielded from Mumbai North. In Uttarakhand, BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni will contest from Garhwal.
This second list follows the BJP's initial announcement of over 190 candidates, including star contestants like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh.