BJP has declared its candidates for 15 Lok Sabha constituencies. While it has denied tickets to 5 sitting members parliament, the party has given tickets to two turncoats from Congress – Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya from Dungarpur-Banswara and Jyoti Mirdha from Nagaur. Mirdha had lost election on BJP ticket from Nagaur assembly seat three months back. BJP has again reposed its trust on her while Malviya, who was a Congress MLA Bagidora has recently joined BJP after resigning from the assembly.
BJP changes five MPs
Among five MPs who lost their candidature are – Kanakmal Katara from Banswara, Ranjeeta Koli from Bharatpur, Devji Patel from Jalore-Sirohi, Rahul Kaswan from Churu and Arjun Lal Meena from Udaipur.
From Banswara BJP has fielded former Congress Working Committee member and former cabinet minister in Ashok Gehlot government Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya while from Bharatpur Ramswarup Koli has replaced Ranjeeta Koli. From Jalore-Sirohi Lumbaram Choudhary has replaced Devji Patel, who was fielded in assembly elections from Sanchore but had lost the elections. The party has now denied his candidature.
From Udaipur seat, Manna Lal Rawat, who is serving as additional commissioner in Rajasthan Transport department, has repeated the sitting MP Arjun Lal Meena. Rawat has a strong hold among tribal votes. He had tried to contest assembly election form Banswara but was denied ticket this time. Now he has been given chance in parliamentary elections.
Similarly, from Churu Rahul Kanswan has been replaced by Paralympian Devendra Jhanjharia. He is the only Indian to win two gold medal in Paralympic Games.
It is said that Kaswan has been denied ticket at the behest of senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore, who had blamed Kaswan for his defeat in assembly election from Churu. Rathore has changed his constituency from Taranagar to Churu where he found his own party men working against him.
From Nagaur, Jyoti Mirdha of famous Mirdha family has been fielded. Last year, BJP has spared that seat for its ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party's president Hanuman Beniwal who had won the seat. This time Hanuman Beniwal has broken alliance with BJP.
After experiment of Kailash Chowdhary, who lost in an assembly poll 3 months before winning his maiden Lok Sabha election in 2019, BJP has used it as a formula for turncoat Mirdha, who defected from Congress. Nagaur will be keenly watched as sitting MP Beniwal may not like to vacate it for BJP.
Party repeats candidates on eight seats
Among other seats, BJP has repeated jal shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat from Jodhpur, minister of state for agriculture Kailash Choudhary from Barmer, law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner, Pali MP P P Choudhary, Jhalawar MP Dushyant Singh, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla from Kota Sikar MP Swami Sumedhanand Saraswati and state BJP president C P Joshi from Chittorgarh.
From Alwar seat, BJP has fielded a strong candidate Bhupendra Yadav, who has been two-time Rajya Sabha MP. He has replaced Baba Balaknath, who vacated this seat after becoming MLA from Tijara.
BJP has again fielded an outsider by banking on union minister Bhupendra Yadav, who is from Madhya Pradesh. Yadav has replaced Baba Balaknath, who narrowly scrapped through in Tijara assembly seat earlier after BSP spoiled Congress party's win by garnering about 8000 votes, which was higher than Balaknath's winning margin.
Yet to announce candidates on 10 seats
BJP has announced 15 candidates. It will soon announce the remaining 10 candidates on seats like Jaipur, Jaipur rural, Bhilwara, Sri Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Dausa, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Karauli-Dholpur, Rajsamand and Ajmer.
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