BJP Prepares for 2024 Lok Sabha Elections: First List of Candidates Expected Soon

BJP's CEC meeting, discussions centered on potential candidates for 50 Lok Sabha seats

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is poised to unveil its initial roster of candidates after a marathon session of the Central Election Committee (CEC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded in the early hours of Friday. The list is anticipated to include prominent figures, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, vying for re-election, alongside candidates for challenging constituencies.

Early Candidate Announcement:

The party’s proactive approach in announcing candidates aims to provide ample time for campaigning while underscoring the BJP’s organizational discipline. This strategy mirrors the success seen in Madhya Pradesh, where early candidate announcements proved effective in last year’s polls.

CEC Meeting:

During the late-night CEC meeting, discussions centred on potential candidates for 50 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, with roughly half expected to be revealed in the initial list. Additionally, allies such as Apna Dal (Sone Lal Patel) and Rashtriya Lok Dal are set to receive nominations for select seats.

Key decisions emerged from the meeting, including Union Minister Jitender Singh’s candidacy from Udhampur and Jugal Kishor Sharma’s from Jammu. Former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other BJP leaders deliberated on candidates for all 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh.

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The BJP’s reach extends to Telangana, where candidates for several seats, including incumbents G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, are under consideration.

Former cricketer Gautam Gambhir’s request to step away from political responsibilities indicates impending changes in candidate selection for the East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency.

With Prime Minister Modi setting a target of 400 seats for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the party aims to secure over 370 seats independently. Further CEC meetings are scheduled in the coming days to finalize candidate selections

Srushti Sharma