
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made a significant announcement on Tuesday, revealing the candidacy of three individuals for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Notably, all incumbent MPs, including Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, have been replaced in constituencies previously held by the party since 2019. Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh, currently serving as a minister in the Manipur government, will now contest from the Inner Manipur constituency, taking the place of the Union Minister. Meanwhile, in Rajasthan, Indu Devi Jatav and Kanhaiya Lal Meena have been nominated for the Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa constituencies, respectively, displacing sitting MPs Manoj Rajoria and Jaskaur Meena.
Earlier, the BJP unveiled a list of 111 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls on Sunday, which notably excluded Union Ministers Ashwini Kumar Choubey and VK Singh, as well as MP Varun Gandhi. Noteworthy additions to the candidate roster include actors Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is set to contest from Sambalpur, while party spokesperson Sambit Patra will seek re-election from Puri. Additionally, Maneka Gandhi will vie for Sultanpur, with Jitin Prasada stepping in for Varun Gandhi in Pilibhit. Sita Soren has been nominated for Dumka (Jharkhand), and former Calcutta High Court Judge Abhijeet Gangopadhyay is also among the nominees.
Actor Arun Govil, renowned for his portrayal of Lord Ram in the TV series ‘Ramayan’, has been selected as the BJP candidate for the Meerut Lok Sabha seat. Similarly, actor Kangana Ranaut will represent the party from the Mandi seat in Himachal Pradesh.
The Lok Sabha elections, encompassing 543 seats, are scheduled to take place in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with vote counting slated for June 4.