Explainer: The long wait for the BJP to release its first slate of candidates for the Lok Sabha in 2024

Following an extensive CEC meeting that lasted till four in the morning on Friday, the BJP is anticipated to announce its slate of candidates at any moment.

Prominent members of the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, are anticipated to be at the top of the party’s first list for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

There could be a few “big surprises” on the list as well.

According to sources, PM Modi met separately at his house with Shah and JP Nadda, the head of the BJP, to discuss key matters.

To finalize the first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections that are anticipated to take place in April or May, the BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) convened on Thursday night.

It is said that the committee deliberated over around 161 parliamentary segments, which are the seats that the party either failed to win or won by smaller percentages than anticipated. In terms of PM Modi’s winning aim of 370 seats for the BJP and more than 400 for the NDA, these seats are anticipated to be major game changers.

According to insiders, in order to meet PM Modi’s win aim, candidates for the most difficult segments could be announced well in advance.

Nonetheless, significant changes may also be anticipated from this endeavor, such as the resignation of current Members of Parliament based on their performance.

renowned names

Rumor has it that former chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, may also be on the initial list. A lot of talk is also being made about the potential nomination of other Union ministers, including as S Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Bhupender Yadav.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, the minister of aviation, is anticipated to be deployed from either Gwalior or Guna, the longtime stronghold of the Scindias that he lost last year.

This seat was represented by Congressman Jyotiraditya Scindia from 2002 until 2014.

But, Krishna Pal Yadav of the BJP defeated him for the seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Remarkably, Tamil Nadu leaders KP Munusamy, a prominent AIADMK politician, has challenged the BJP to field Sitharaman and Jaishankar. Two ministers in the Union are Tamils. Two of them are native to Tamil Nadu, while the other was born and raised there. They are Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar. Is the BJP prepared to field them in any Tamil Nadu seat?

“Can the Bharatiya Janata Party field Jaishankar and Nirmala Sitharaman from any Tamil Nadu seat if it has guts and believes the people of Tamil Nadu would vote for them? At a public assembly, he was cited as stating, “Then you will learn about how the people of Tamil Nadu will teach you a lesson.”

A few months ago, the AIADMK withdrew from the NDA partnership in Tamil Nadu due to a number of reasons, including the state leadership of the BJP.

newcomers and female candidates

According to reports, the BJP has selected 100 candidates for the first list, many of them are anticipated to be female and newcomer candidates.

According to reports, selecting the final candidates included extensive study and evaluations at many levels and from various sources. This comprises public comments, reports from serving Members of Parliament about projects carried out in their individual districts, and state evaluations.

The core group of each state met with Nadda, Shah, and BL Santosh, the general secretary of the organisation, before to the CEC meeting to deliberate on potential candidates for each parliamentary seat.

Prior to the CEC, a conversation on difficult topics and the winnability factor was held at the Prime Minister’s house.

According to rumors, tickets of candidates whose performance falls short of expectations may be canceled. Ministers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in particular may not be nominated this time.