Modi to contest from Varanasi

Published March 22, 2019
BJP releases first list of 184 candidates for 20 states for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. ─ AFP/FIle
BJP releases first list of 184 candidates for 20 states for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. ─ AFP/FIle

NEW DELHI: India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released its first list of 184 candidates for 20 States for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to fight from his seat of Varanasi, and party president Amit Shah also throwing his hat in the ring from Gandhinagar, represented six times by former party strongman L. K. Advani.

The party retained most sitting MPs, the biggest drops in Uttar Pradesh with six candidates replaced in a list of 21, reports said.

Union Minister for health J. P. Nadda released the list on Thursday evening, but refused to comment on Mr Advani being replaced by Mr Shah in Gandhinagar, reports said.

BJP sources have been quoted as saying that the decision on whether Mr Advani would like to contest was left to him, as was the case with former party president Murli Manohar Joshi.

This was discussed in the parliamentary board of the party two weeks ago.

As for Mr Shah, senior leaders of the party said that the party needed a heavyweight replacement for Mr Advani, and with Prime Minister Modi not contesting from Gujarat, Mr Shah was the natural choice, reports said.

It is also a sign of Mr Shah’s undisputed pre-eminence in the BJP and its affairs both in Gujarat and nationally. It is the comprehensive end of an era for the BJP.

In the electorally crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP faces a formidable alliance of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, the first list saw 28 names announced including that of Prime Minister Modi from Varanasi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh from Lucknow and Textiles Minister Smriti Irani from Amethi (to take on Congress president Rahul Gandhi).

Names of BJP leaders Maneka Gandhi who represents Pilibhit and her son Varun Gandhi representing Sultanpur were also not announced.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2019

Opinion

One year on

One year on

Governance by the ruling coalition has been underwhelming and marked by growing authoritarianism.

Editorial

Climate funding gap
Updated 17 Feb, 2025

Climate funding gap

Pakistan must boost its institutional capacity to develop bankable climate projects.
UN monitoring report
Updated 17 Feb, 2025

UN monitoring report

Pakistan must press Kabul diplomatically over its tolerance of TTP terrorism.
Tax policy reform
17 Feb, 2025

Tax policy reform

THE cabinet’s decision to create a Tax Policy Office at the finance ministry has raised hopes that tax policy is...
Maintaining balance
Updated 16 Feb, 2025

Maintaining balance

It must take a more proactive approach to establishing Pakistan’s bona fides.
Welcome return
16 Feb, 2025

Welcome return

IT is almost here; the moment Pakistan has long been waiting for — the first International Cricket Council...
Childhood trauma
16 Feb, 2025

Childhood trauma

BEING a child in this society should not be so hard. But recurrent reports of child abuse — from burying girl...