BJP, Congress Reveal Prominent Candidates In High-Stakes Lok Sabha Poll Battle

The BJP has revealed its first two lists of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, naming 267 candidates so far. The initial list comprised 195 candidates, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking re-election from Varanasi, alongside 34 Union Ministers like Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. The second list added 72 more names, featuring three former Chief Ministers, nine Union Ministers, two Rajya Sabha MPs, and 15 women candidates. On the other hand, the Congress party has released two candidate lists totaling 82 names so far. The first list had 39 candidates from eight states and one UT, while the second one announced on March 12th included 43 names from five states and a UT. Notable name in the Congress' list include Rahul Gandhi, from Wayanad, Vaibhav Gehlot from Rajasthan. The list encompasses candidates from various categories, with 10 from the general category, 13 OBCs, 10 SCs, 9 STs, and one Muslim candidate.

Narendra Modi

The BJP's first candidate list reaffirms Modi's decision to seek re-election from Varanasi, a seat he has dominated in the past two general elections. In 2014, BJP’s campaign prowess enabled Modi to secure a resounding victory with 56.37% of the vote share, trouncing rivals like Arvind Kejriwal and Ajay Rai. His triumph was even more remarkable in 2019, as he capitalised on nationalistic sentiments after the Pulwama attacks, garnering an impressive 63.62% of votes. However, the upcoming elections promise an intriguing contest, with the United Opposition's INDIA bloc fielding a joint candidate against Modi in Varanasi. The Samajwadi Party has decided to support the Congress party's nominee, setting the stage for an intense political battle in this crucial parliamentary constituency.

Amit Shah

The BJP's candidate list confirms Shah's nomination from Gandhinagar, a seat he secured with a massive margin of over 5 lakh votes in 2019. Shah's political journey, deeply influenced by RSS ideologies and the mentorship of Narendra Modi, has been marked by strategic acumen and drastic expressiveness. From his early days as an ABVP activist to his pivotal role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and later as BJP's national president, Shah has been a driving force behind the party's ascendancy. His tenure as Home Minister witnessed the abrogation of Article 370, a defining moment in his political career.

Nitin Gadkari

The Nagpur constituency is set to witness a high stakes battle as Union Minister Nitin Gadkari seeks re-election from his home turf. A leader of the BJP and a close aide of the RSS, Gadkari's political journey spans over four decades, starting from his activism against the Emergency. His tenure as Maharashtra's Public Works Department minister was marked by infrastructure projects like the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Gadkari's rise continued as he served as the BJP's youngest national president from 2009 to 2013. Elected to the Lok Sabha from Nagpur in 2014, he defeated veteran Congress leader Vilas Muttemwar by a massive margin of 2.85 lakh votes, repeating his victory in 2019 against Nana Patole. Presently, Gadkari is the longest-serving Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, a portfolio he has held for over nine years.

Manohar Lal Khattar

The Karnal Lok Sabha constituency is set to witness a high-profile contest as Manohar Lal Khattar, who recently resigned as Haryana Chief Minister, takes the plunge into national politics on a BJP ticket. Khattar's political journey reached its pinnacle when he assumed the Chief Minister's office in 2014, a position he retained after the 2019 assembly elections. However, his resignation this month paved the way for his Lok Sabha debut from Karnal, replacing the sitting BJP MP Sanjay Bhatia.

Shivraj Singh Chauhan

The Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency is also set to witness a political heavyweight contest as former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan takes the plunge into national politics. A five-time MP from Vidisha, Chouhan's decision to contest from his home turf of Budhni comes after he stepped aside as CM following the BJP's thumping victory in the recent state polls. Popularly known as 'Mama', Chouhan's political journey began with the RSS at age 13, and he actively participated in the anti-Emergency movement. His rise continued as he served in various organizational roles with the ABVP and BJYM before becoming an MLA in 1990. First elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991, Chouhan went on to win from Vidisha four more times. However, it was his stint as Madhya Pradesh CM from 2005 to 2018, and again briefly in 2020, that cemented his stature.

Bansuri Swaraj

The BJP's decision to field Bansuri Swaraj, the 40-year-old daughter of late stalwart Sushma Swaraj, from the prestigious New Delhi Lok Sabha seat has taken many by surprise. A virtual newcomer to politics, Bansuri's candidature is seen as a strategic move by the party leadership to woo the crucial women voters in the capital. Her nomination also signals the BJP's willingness to let bygones be bygones, as her mother Sushma was part of the anti-Modi camp within the party initially. If Bansuri manages to defeat the AAP's Somnath Bharti, it will establish her as a prominent leader and deal a blow to Arvind Kejriwal, who is an MLA from the New Delhi Assembly segment.

Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi is set to contest once again from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. The Congress party's first candidate list reaffirms Gandhi's decision to seek re-election from this safe bastion, which he had won convincingly in 2019. By fielding its top leader from Wayanad, the Congress hopes to galvanize party workers across the state and bolster the United Democratic Front's prospects of sweeping the 20 parliamentary seats. Gandhi's candidature from Kerala is expected to free him to spearhead the INDIA bloc's anti-BJP campaign across the country without being constrained by constituency-level compulsions.

KC Venugopal

The Congress has fielded Rahul Gandhi's close aide KC Venugopal from the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala. A veteran politician who entered in politics in his student days, the 61-year-old Venugopal has deep roots in Alappuzha, having won the assembly seat thrice and the parliamentary constituency twice in the past. His stint as a Union Minister of State for Power also adds governance experience to his profile. Alappuzha is currently held by the CPM's AM Ariff, setting the stage for an intense battle.

Bhupesh Baghel

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is making a comeback to national politics after a decade, as the Congress fields him from the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat - a BJP bastion. Baghel, a prominent OBC face of the party in the state, had served as CM from 2018 to 2023 after leading the Congress to a landslide victory in the assembly polls that year. However, the party's underwhelming performance in the recent state elections paved the way for Baghel's return to the Lok Sabha fray. A seasoned politician with over three decades of experience, the 62-year-old has been a six-term MLA and also served as a minister in the undivided Madhya Pradesh government in the late 90s.

Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor seeks re-election from Thiruvananthapuram constituency he has represented for three consecutive terms. The former UN diplomat-turned-politician will be contesting against BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a Union Minister, in what promises to be an intense battle. Tharoor, known for his articulation and literary prowess, has carved a niche for himself in Indian politics since his electoral debut in 2009. Apart from his stint as a Minister of State in the UPA regime, Tharoor's decades-long career at the UN, where he rose to the rank of Under-Secretary-General, adds significant heft to his profile.

Vaibhav Gehlot

In a bid to revive the Congress's fortunes in Rajasthan, where the party drew a blank in the last two Lok Sabha polls, Vaibhav Gehlot has been fielded from the Jalore constituency. The son of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Vaibhav will be making his second attempt at securing a parliamentary berth after his defeat from Jodhpur in 2019. This time, he is facing BJP's Lumbaram Chaudhary in what promises to be an intense contest. Apart from the political lineage, the 43-year-old brings business acumen to the fray, having previously ventured into car rentals and consultancy. Vaibhav's candidature also holds significance due to the internal power tussle within the Rajasthan Congress, with Ashok Gehlot having blamed Sachin Pilot for his son's 2019 loss.