Among the notable names are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will contest from Varanasi, and Amit Shah, set to run from Gujarat’s Gandhinagar constituency. Additionally, the BJP has chosen four Bhojpuri film stars as candidates, with Pawan Singh being fielded from Asansol in West Bengal.
Ravi Kishan
Popular Bhojpuri star Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla, also known as Ravi Kishan, will be contesting from Gorakhpur, the bastion of Yogi Adityanath, for the second time.
“I want to thank the top leadership wholeheartedly… The organization gave me a second chance from the hottest seat after Kashi. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the entire organization and Prime Minister Modi. I will maintain this trust…BJP will win 400 seats and Gorakhpur seat will create history,” BJP MP Ravi Kishan said.
Ravi Kishan emerged victorious in the 2019 election, defeating SP candidate Rambhual Nishad with a substantial lead of over 3 lakh votes.
Manoj Tiwari
Manoj Tiwari, a renowned Bhojpuri singer-actor and two-time sitting MP from North East Delhi, will be contesting from the same seat for the third consecutive time on a BJP ticket.
At 53, Tiwari, a former president of Delhi BJP, secured victory in the North East Delhi constituency in 2019, defeating former Delhi chief minister and Congress candidate Sheila Dikshit by a significant margin.
With three daughters, Tiwari holds a Master’s degree in physical education from Banaras Hindu University. He is widely recognized as a prominent Purvanchali face of the BJP in Delhi, having been born and raised in Bihar.
Tiwari made his debut in electoral politics as a Samajwadi Party candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, contesting against the present Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Gorakhpur.
Dinesh Lal Yadav
Bhojpuri star Dinesh Lal Yadav, also known as ‘Nirahua’, currently holds the position of a Member of Parliament from Azamgarh. He is set to contest from the Samajwadi Party’s stronghold once again in the upcoming parliamentary elections. In the 2022 by-elections, Nirahua emerged victorious by defeating SP’s Dharmendra Yadav with a margin of nearly 9,000 votes.
It’s noteworthy that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had previously won the seat in 2019, but later relinquished it after being elected as an MLA from Karhal constituency in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly elections.
Pawan Singh
Bhojpuri singer and actor Pawan Singh has been nominated as the candidate from Asansol in West Bengal.
The Bhojpuri artist, known for his hit song “Lollipop Lagelu,” will be contesting from Asansol, a constituency currently represented by veteran Bollywood and Bhojpuri actor, as well as TMC leader, Shatrughan Sinha.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, singer Babul Supriyo clinched victory in this seat on a BJP ticket by defeating TMC’s Moon Moon Sen. However, two years later, Supriyo resigned from the seat and joined the TMC. Subsequently, in 2022, Shatrughan Sinha secured a victory in the Lok Sabha elections from Asansol.
In the BJP’s initial list of 195 candidates released on Saturday, significant alterations were observed in Delhi. The party has opted to field only Manoj Tiwari, the incumbent Lok Sabha member from northeast Delhi. Additionally, Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi has been replaced by the youthful Basuri Swaraj, daughter of the late BJP stalwart Sushma Swaraj, as the candidate from New Delhi.
Furthermore, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been selected to contest from the Vidisha constituency in the state, while Sarbananda Sonowal will be representing Dibrugarh and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from Kota.
(With inputs from agencies)
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
Published: 03 Mar 2024, 09:56 AM IST