As the upcoming Lok Sabha elections approach, the BJP is progressively announcing its candidates. So far, six lists have been released, nominating a total of 405 candidates. Shockingly, out of the current 291 MPs, tickets for 101 have been axed by the party. The first list saw 33, the second 30, the fifth 37 and the sixth one existing MP losing their tickets, with several state ministers included in this list.
The prominent MPs whose tickets have been cut include names such as Varun Gandhi, Pragya Thakur, Ramesh Bidhuri, Darshana Jardosh, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Pratap Simha, V.K. Singh, Anant Hegde, Ashwini Choubey, Harsh Vardhan, and Gautam Gambhir. Additionally, all three MPs from Manipur have had their tickets withdrawn this election cycle, a decision considered in light of the current status in Manipur and the party's strategic move towards fielding fresh faces.
Looking at the figures, the BJP has thus far cut the tickets of about 34% of current MPs, which means that one out of every three MPs is not being repeated. The BJP had cut the tickets of 119 out of 282 MPs in 2019, which is roughly 42%. This strategic decision was to avoid anti-incumbency. This time, taking anti-incumbency, controversial statements, and local activists' discontent into account, the party has cut the tickets of 101 MPs so far.
More MPs may see their tickets cut soon
The BJP plans to declare at least another 30-40 candidates and it is speculated that more sitting MPs could see their tickets being cut. For instance, the party has yet to decide on the candidacy of the controversial MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The announcement for the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat remains pending. Political circles are buzzing with speculation that Singh's ticket could be axed, although suspense still remains.
In Delhi, 6 out of 7 MPs lose their tickets
The BJP has already announced all its candidates for Delhi, cutting the tickets of 6 out of 7 MPs. Only Manoj Tiwari managed to save his seat. Making a strategic move, the BJP replaced Harsh Vardhan, a two-time MP and former Union Minister, with Praveen Khandelwal for the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency. Additionally, the West Delhi seat has been taken from two-time MP Parvesh Singh Verma and given to Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Ramesh Bidhuri from South Delhi has been replaced by Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Meenakshi Lekhi from New Delhi has been replaced by Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of the late leader Sushma Swaraj, Hans Raj Hans from North West Delhi has been replaced by Yogesh Chandolia, and Harsh Malhotra has replaced Gautam Gambhir for East Delhi, while Manoj Tiwari has been retained for North East Delhi.
9 Big Names Lose Tickets in UP
In Uttar Pradesh, holding 80 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP is contesting 75, leaving five to its allies. The party has announced candidates for 63 of its seats, while suspense still hangs over around a dozen. So far, 9 sitting MPs have had their tickets cut by the BJP, including Santosh Gangwar, an eight-time MP from Bareilly, Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit, central minister General VK Singh from Ghaziabad, Upendra Rawat from Barabanki, Sanghamitra Maurya from Badaun, Satyadev Pachauri from Kanpur Nagar, Akshaywar Lal Gaud from Bahraich, Rajvir Singh Diler from Hathras, and Rajendra Agarwal from Meerut. However, General VK Singh and Satyadev Pachauri had already announced not contesting the elections.
14 New Faces in Gujarat
In Gujarat, the BJP has announced candidates for all 26 Lok Sabha seats, nominating 14 fresh faces and repeating 12 MPs. This time, the party has fielded four women, down from six in the previous election. Two Union State Ministers have been denied tickets: Darshanaben Jardosh from Surat and Dr. Mahendra Munjpara from Surendranagar. Replacing them are Mukesh Dalal from Surat and former district panchayat chief Chandubhai Sehora, respectively. Notably, Sehora switched from the Congress to the BJP in 2017.
All Three MPs from Manipur Denied a Second Chance
In the tumultuous state of Manipur, the BJP has made a significant shift, cutting the tickets of all three existing MPs and opting for new candidates. In the sixth list released on Tuesday, they even cut the ticket of the MP whose home was burnt by insurgents. Union State Minister (External Affairs) Rajkumar Ranjan Singh has been denied a repeat chance. Previously, the tickets of two other MPs were cut in an earlier list.
