BJP’s first list of 182 candidates announced for LokSabha Election 2019...list inside

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Mar 22 2019 08:23 AM
Padma Subba Rao

New Delhi: On Thursday, The Bharatiya Janata Party announced its first list of candidates for the 2019 Lok Sabha election, a day India celebrates the colour festival of Holi. The BJP has, in the past few days, held several meetings of its Central Election Committee (CEC) to chalk out a strategy for the 2019 general elections and discuss the list of candidates. Union Minister JP Nadda, who is also the Secretary of the Central Election Committee, announced the first list, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, BJP president Amit Shah and Smriti Irani. Interestingly, BJP veteran LK Advani has been left out from the Gandhinagar constituency, which has been given to the BJP president.

Here it is to be noted that a total of 182 candidates on this list have been selected from 20 states across the country ahead of the first phase of the election to be held on April 11. The list today has covered states from almost all regions of the country, from Rajasthan to Maharashtra to Karnataka to Andhra Pradesh to West Bengal to Arunachal Pradesh. The highly-anticipated 2019 Lok Sabha elections are just around the corner. While the Bharatiya Janata Party will look to consolidate their reign at the Centre for a consecutive second term as part of the National Democratic Alliance, the Congress party would aim to bounce back after their abysmal performance in 2014 after holding two terms in the government.

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However, the National Democratic Alliance had formed the government in 2014 with 336 seats in the Lok Sabha after the BJP secured an absolute majority by winning 282 seats out of the total 545 (2 nominated). The Congress party was humbled after 10 years in power, won a measly 44 seats. However, tables have turned for the Congress in the past five years, with Congress president Rahul Gandhi taking over as the head of the grand old party and spearheading the Opposition’s campaigns. The general elections will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19 for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country. Counting will be done on May 23.

BJP candidate list 2019 - Key Highlights:

*Prime Minister Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi

*BJP president Amit Shah to contest from Gandhinagar

*Home Minister Rajnath Singh to contest from Lucknow

*Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to contest from Nagpur

*Union Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh to contest from Ghaziabad

*Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma to contest from Gautam Buddh Nagar

*Hema Malini to contest from Mathura

*Sakshi Maharaj to contest from Unnao

*Union minister Smriti Irani to contest from Amethi

*Poonam Mahajan to contest from Mumbai North-Central

*Union Minister Jitendra Singh to contest from Udhampur