The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has unveiled its second list of candidates on Wednesday, putting forward nominees from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
Representing Uttarakhand, the party has fielded national spokesperson Anil Baluni and former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. Meanwhile, Himachal will see Union Minister Anurag Thakur contesting the election.
The BJP's Picks for Uttarakhand's Seats
In Uttarakhand, there are five Lok Sabha constituencies. Two candidates were declared in this second list, with three having been announced previously. With this, the BJP has finalized candidates for all five seats in the state.
Source: aajtak
Spokesperson Anil Baluni is set to compete from Garhwal in his first Lok Sabha election, replacing former CM Tirath Singh Rawat. Furthermore, former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat has been nominated from Haridwar.
Himachal Pradesh Candidates Announced
Looking at Himachal Pradesh, which has four Lok Sabha seats, BJP has announced two candidates in the latest list. Incumbent MP Anurag Thakur is repeated for Hamirpur and Suresh Kumar Kashyap for Shimla. Announcements for candidates from Kangra and Mandi remain pending.
Ex-CM and current BJP leader Jayaram Thakur, presently the leader of the opposition in the assembly, may get the ticket from Mandi. Also, rebel Congress MLA Sudhir Sharma's name is buzzing for Mandi. Despite the ruling Congress government, the party lost the Rajya Sabha elections as these rebel MLAs voted for BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP secured all four seats. However, after Mandi MP Ram Swaroop Sharma's demise, Congress state president Pratibha Singh, widow of former CM Virbhadra Singh, won the subsequent by-election.
