BJP Releases First List Of Candidates For Lok Sabha Elections

On 2 March 2024, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The first list encompasses 195 seats across 16 states.

In its first list, the party has included  28 women, 2 former chief ministers, and 47 individuals below the age of 50. Among social groups, the list includes 18 candidates from the Scheduled Tribes (STs) , 27 from the Scheduled Castes (SCs), and 57 from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The distribution of seats across states was as following:

• Uttar Pradesh: 51 seats

• Madhya Pradesh: 24 seats

• West Bengal: 20 seats

• Gujarat: 15 seats

• Rajasthan: 15 seats

• Kerala: 12 seats

• Telangana: 9 seats

• Assam: 11 seats

• Jharkhand: 11 seats

• Chhattisgarh: 11 seats

• Delhi: 5 seats

• Uttarakhand: 3 seats

• Jammu & Kashmir: 2 seats

• Arunachal Pradesh: 2 seats

• Goa: 1 seat

• Tripura: 1 seat

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands: 1 seat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will contest from Varanasi, while other prominent figures include Home Minister Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from Lucknow, and former actress-turned-politician Hema Malini from Mathura. Notable names such as Smriti Irani will seek reelection from Amethi, and Manoj Tiwari from North East Delhi.

The lineup also includes Kiren Rijiju in Arunachal West, and Rajeev Chandrashekhar in Thiruvananthapuram.