Gadkari, Khattar in new BJP LS list

New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday released its second list of 72 more candidates for the impending Lok Sabha elections. Former BJP president and Union minister Nitin Gadkari from Maharashtra's Nagpur, former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar from Karnal and Union minister Piyush Goyal from Mumbai North are among the prominent names on the new list. While it will be Mr Khattar's first Lok Sabha election, it is Mr Goyal's electoral debut.

Other important names in the BJP’s second list of candidates are Union minister Anurag Thakur from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur, Rajya Sabha MP and BJP national media convenor Anil Baluni from Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal, former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat from Haridwar, former Karanataka CM Basavraj Bommai from Haveri and the current titular king of the erstwhile Mysore royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysore. 

Mr Wadiyar will be replacing incumbent MP Pratap Simha, whose name got embroiled in the recent Parliament breach case. Also, Uttarakhand's Haridwar seat is currently represented by former Union minister Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank”.

Another member of an erstwhile royal family in the BJP list is Maharani Kriti Singh Debbarma from Tripura East. Ms Singh is the elder sister of regional outfit Tipra Motha's Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma. Tipra Motha recently announced its alliance with the BJP. This seat is currently represented by BJP MP Rebati Tripura.

The BJP has fielded Kalaben Delkar from Dadar and Nagar Haveli, who is a sitting MP and had joined the saffron party a couple of days back. She had won the seat in a bypoll in 2021 on a Shiv Sena (UBT) ticket.

The BJP has fielded parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi from Dharwad and former chief minister and Lingayat leader B.S. Yediyurappa's son B.Y. Raghavendra from Shimoga. Union minister Shobha Karandlaje has been shifted from Udupi Chikmagalur to Bangalore North.

Former Karnataka state unit chief Nalin Kumar Kateel has been replaced by Brijesh Chota in Dakshina Kannada.

The party has fielded Pankaja Munde, daughter of late Gopinath Munde, from Maharashtra's Beed, currently represented by her sister Pritam. Union minister Bharati Pawar will contest from Dindori and senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar from Chandrapur. 

In Telangana, the party has named Madavaneni Raghunandan Rao from Medak, D.K. Aruna from Mahabubnagar, Azmeera Seetaram Naik from Mahabubabad and Godam Nagesh from Adilabad.

In Madhya Pradesh, the party has fielded sitting MP Shankar Lalwani from Indore, sitting MP Anil Firoziya from Ujjain and Vivek Sahu from Chhindwara.

From Gujarat, the party has renominated Hasmukbhai Somabhai Patel from Ahmedabad East and Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt from Vadodara. 

The BJP has named Mukeshbhai Chandrakant Dalal from Surat and Bhikhaji Dudhani Thakor from Sabarkantha. Surat is currently represented by Union minister Darshana Jardosh.

The party had earlier released 195 names, which also included Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh.