Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi from Varanasi, Shah from Gandhinagar as BJP names 195 candidates in first list

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek re-election from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and is among the 195 candidates named in the BJP’s first list of contestants for the Lok Sabha elections.

Home minister Amit Shah will contest from his home turf of Gandhinagar and defence minister Rajnath Singh from Lucknow.

A closer look at BJP 's first list

Thirty-four members of Modi’s council of ministers and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla are in the list. The list names 28 women and 47 young leaders and covers constituencies across 16 states and union territories.

The BJP's candidate list emphasizes diversity and inclusion, featuring 28 women, 47 leaders under the age of 50, and 57 members from the OBC community. This strategic approach aims to resonate with a broader voter base and showcase the party's commitment to representation.

Why winnability was a major deciding factor

Winnability seems to be most important factor deciding behind the declaration of the candidates in BJP’s first list. The BJP has fielded two former chief ministers and some Rajya Sabha members to ensure that it can capitalize on their popularity. The party has never refrained from switching leaders between states and the Centre as per its need.

In the recently concluded state polls, the party fielded several MPs in the three states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh to fight the possibility of anti-incumbency against notable state leaders. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who has always spearheaded state politics has been picked to contest the Lok Sabha elections

Battle for Varanasi

Prime Minister Modi is set to defend his seat in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, a stronghold for the saffron party since 1991, except for a Congress victory in 2004.

His victories in 2014 and 2019 were dominant, with a margin of 3.7 lakh votes and nearly 4.8 lakh votes, respectively. Speculation arose regarding the PM's bid for a hat-trick, with potential challenges from the INDIA bloc, and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra emerged as a possible candidate.

Shah from Gandhinagar, Rajnath from Lucknow

Shah is contesting from Gujarat's Gandhinagar. The BJP has maintained a stronghold on this seat since 1989, a constituency that has historically sent stalwarts like LK Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the Lok Sabha. Shah secured a decisive victory here in 2019, defeating the Congress' Chaturainh Chavda by over 5.5 lakh votes.

Rajnath Singh will be contesting from Lucknow, while aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will be in the running from Guna-Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who participated in the meeting to assess potential candidates for his state, has been named as the candidate from the state's Vidisha constituency.

Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya has been fielded from Porbandar constituency, while minister of state for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, will contest from Thiruvananthapuram, the party said.

Another prominent name featured in the first list is former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who will be contesting from Dibrugarh. Sonowal previously won this seat in 2004 when he was with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).

The first list of BJP candidates also includes prominent leaders like Smriti Irani and Bhojpuri cinema star Ravi Kishan, who would be contesting from their current constituencies of Amethi and Gorakhpur, respectively.

Bhojpuri star Pawan Singh will contest from the Asansol seat of West Bengal, challenging BJP turncoat and incumbent Trinamool Congress MP Shatrughan Sinha.

Names missing

There are notable omissions as the firebrand Bhopal MP Pragya Thakur has been dropped.

Several names from southern states were included in the BJP's list, giving them enough time to campaign.

The BJP came down heavily on incumbent MPs whose performance didn’t match expectations and set an example with its announcement for the candidates in Delhi. The party announced candidates for five out of the seven seats.

Of the five announced, the BJP retained only one MP and replaced the remaining four. Only Manoj Kumar Tiwari, who is the current MP from North East Delhi, will contest from the same seat again.