ANS: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has revealed its fifth list of candidates, comprising 111 names across multiple states.
The announcement, made on Sunday, encompassed a diverse array of candidates vying for Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Haryana, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.
Among the notable inclusions, Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has been fielded from the Mandi constituency in Himachal Pradesh, while television serial “Ramayan” fame actor Arun Govil will contest from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is set to vie for the Sambalpur seat, while party spokesperson Sambit Patra will enter the electoral fray from Puri, Odisha. In a notable shift, Uttar Pradesh minister Jitin Prasada will replace Varun Gandhi in Pilibhit.
In Jharkhand, Sita Soren, Dhullu Mahato, and Kali Charan Singh have been nominated for the Dumka, Dhanbad, and Chatra constituencies respectively.
Further, Atul Garg from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, and Naveen Jindal from Kurukshetra, Haryana, have secured BJP nominations.
Ravi Shankar Prasad will contest from Patna Sahib, while Union Minister Giriraj Singh has been nominated from Begusarai. Additionally, D Pundeshwari, Raj Bhushan Nishad, and Ram Kripal Yadav have been selected for Rajahmundry, Muzaffarpur, and Patliputra respectively.
However, Union Minister Ashwini Choubey’s nomination from Buxar has been rescinded, with Mithilesh Tiwari emerging as the replacement candidate.
Moreover, Chhedi Paswan’s ticket from Sasaram has been revoked in favor of Shivesh Ram, and Ajay Nishad’s nomination from Muzaffarpur has been canceled. Vivek Thakur will now represent Nawada, a seat previously held by the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).
Interestingly, while many seasoned BJP figures have been retained, notable exclusions include VK Singh, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, and Varun Gandhi, marking a shift in the party’s candidate roster for the upcoming elections.