Prime Minister Narendra Modi, vying for a third term, has confirmed his candidacy for the Lok Sabha elections from his Varanasi constituency. Similarly, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will seek re-election from Gandhinagar and Lucknow respectively. Additionally, former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and several Union ministers including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Bhupendra Yadav, and Smriti Irani are among the 195 names announced by the BJP. Notably, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will contest from Kota in Rajasthan. Overall, the list comprises 34 Union ministers, reflecting the party's strategic approach ahead of the elections.
Names were announced for UP (51), MP (24), Gujarat (15), West Bengal (20), Rajasthan (15), Kerala (12), Chhattisgarh (11), Jharkhand (11), Assam (11 ), Telangana (9), Delhi (5), Uttarakhand (3), Jammu and Kashmir (2), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Goa (1), Tripura (1) and Andamans (1), Daman Diu (1).
Nearly 20% of incumbents dropped
Union Minister John Barla from Alipurduar in West Bengal has been excluded from the list of candidates. Nearly 20% of the incumbents have been replaced, with 47% of the nominees being under 50 years old, indicating the party's emphasis on youth. Among the candidates announced, 28 are women, comprising 14% of the total.
The BJP's focus on the OBC community is evident, as a majority of sitting MPs from this bracket, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, have been retained, accounting for 57 nominations. Notably, the party has nominated one Muslim candidate, Abdul Salam from Malappuram in Kerala, marking the first time a Muslim candidate has been fielded by the BJP in Lok Sabha polls since 2014.
Former Union ministers missing from the list include Harshvardhan (Chandni Chowk), and Jayant Sinha, who announced his decision to opt out of the contest in the morning to focus on fighting climate change. The fate of others like Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank remains uncertain as the party has not confirmed his nomination for the Haridwar seat.