BJP's Lok Sabha candidates list: Maneka Gandhi in, Varun dropped from Pilibhit

BJP's Lok Sabha candidates list: The Bharatiya Janata Party unveiled 111 more candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Sunday. Former union minister Maneka Gandhi will continue to contest from Sultanpur, while her son Varun Gandhi has been replaced by Uttar Pradesh minister Jitin Prasada in the Pilibhit constituency.

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Varun Gandhi, son of Sanjay Gandhi, had first won from Pilibhit in 2009. The seat was once represented by his mother Maneka Gandhi. However, he was shifted to Sultanpur in 2014 and Maneka Gandhi was fielded from this seat.

In 2019, Varun Gandhi was shifted to Pilibhit again and won this seat to enter the Lok Sabha for a third term.

Gandhi was in the news for his attacks on his own government over farmers’ protests.

BJP's 5th candidates list for Lok Sabha election | Top points

• The ruling party has now finalised 398 nominees for the Lok Sabha elections, excluding four controversial withdrawals, out of the 543-member House.

• Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, known for her vocal support of the BJP, will contest from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, while veteran actor Arun Govil, renowned for his portrayal of Lord Ram in "Ramayan," will stand in Meerut.

• Sita Soren, sister-in-law of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, joins the BJP as a candidate from Dumka after leaving the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

• Former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar, who briefly left the BJP for the Congress before returning, will contest from Belgaum.

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• Ex-Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay will represent the BJP in Tamluk, West Bengal, while Dilip Ghosh moves from Medinipur to Bardhaman–Durgapur, replacing S S Ahluwalia.

• The BJP has also announced candidates from various states, including seven from Rajasthan, four each from Haryana, Karnataka, and Kerala, 18 from Odisha, and three each from Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

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• In Andhra Pradesh, party president D Purandeswari will contest from Rajahmundry, and former CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy from Rajampet, as the BJP finalised its picks for all six Lok Sabha seats in the state.

• Additionally, BJP vice president Baijayant Panda will contest from Kendrapara, a constituency he has represented twice as a BJD member.