Modi's BJP unveils second candidates list for 2024 polls; top ministers in fray

LESS than two weeks after it unveiled its first list of candidates for the upcoming general elections, India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of prime minister Narendra Modi released its second list on Wednesday (13) and it featured 72 names. The list comes two days after the BJP's Central Election Committee held a meeting at its headquarters in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the prime minister.

Some of the top names that featured in the list are federal ministers Nitin Gadkari (road transport and highways), Piyush Goyal (commerce and industry) and Anurag Thakur (information and broadcasting and sports).

Three former chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, including Manohar Lal Khattar who resigned from his post in the northern state of Haryana, were also named in the list. Former chief minister of the northern state of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat and southern state Basavaraj Bommai were also fielded.

Read: Modi’s BJP unveils 1st candidates list for 2024 election; PM eyes Varanasi hat-trick

In an otherwise smooth process, the BJP had to do a prolonged negotiation over one seat in the eastern state of Bihar where it reportedly made a seat-sharing deal with the Lok Janshakti Party, a local player.

Besides, candidates were also declared for two seats in Delhi, seven in the western state of Gujarat, six in Haryana, two in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, among others.

Indian road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari (ANI Photo)

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In Karnataka, the BJP fielded 10 new faces. BY Raghavendra, son of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, has been fielded from Shivamogga. Tejasvi Surya, who is the BJP's youth wing chief, will seek re-election from Bengaluru South constituency. Pralhad Joshi, India's minister of parliamentary affairs, will contest from Karnataka's Dharwad.

On March 2, the BJP announced its first list of candidates featuring 195 names, including those of PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah.

The Indian National Congress, India's main opposition party, has also announced two lists of candidates featuring 82 names.