BJP candidate list 2024: Congress says othing new’ as PM Modis party releases first list of 195 candidates

After the Bhartiya Janata Party on Saturday released the first list of its candidates for Lok Sabha polls 2024, the Congress called the announcement an ‘assumed list' of big names. Commenting on the BJP's candidate list for Lok Sabha 2024, Congress leader Deepak Babaria said, “all the names were already assumed".“They have done nothing new. The question is how much is the public going to accept the BJP. They keep talking about 400, they are not telling from where they are getting it. There is doubt among the people that they are getting the majority through the EVM and they are doing nothing to remove that doubt," news agency ANI quoted Congress leader Deepak Babaria.

The ruling party's first list for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections named Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the contestant from Varanasi. Apart from this, 34 Union ministers including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani were named in the list of 195 candidates.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla will fight again from Kota in Rajasthan, according to the list, which also included two former ministers of the BJP government. Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will contest the elections from Vidisha.After being selected as the BJP candidate for the Vidisha seat in Madhya Pradesh, former state CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan called the list to be a “balance of women and youth". He said that he is blessed to be a part of the “development Viksit Bharat under PM Modi's leadership".

Lashing out at the ruling party for missing out on major names, Congress leader Pawan Khera said, “We did not understand what it meant when one after another BJP MPs were leaving their positions... But when the list came out, we saw that a lot of names were missing. The BJP leadership is not happy with the work done by them. Those MPs who did not get the ticket, who will answer about their 5 years? Did PM Modi think that they will not win even by PM Modi's name?"

Questioning the BJP's claim of securing 400 seats in the upcoming General Elections, AICC Delhi Congress in-charge Deepak Babaria said that the BJP's first list of Lok Sabha candidates came up with ‘already assumed names.’

BJP leaders and workers began celebration on Saturday soon after the announcement of the first list of BJP candidates who will be contesting Lok Sabha elections this year.

“I thank the party high command for believing in me. I am 100% sure of winning. Based on the work done by the double-engine government, we will win,"  said BJP leader Kripanath Mallah after getting a party ticket from Karimganj constituency.

The saffron party fielded former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's daughter, Bansuri Swaraj from New Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Expressing her happiness after the release of the list, Bansuri said, "I want to thank Sangathan Mahamantri Pawan Rana, Jay Panda, my elder sister Alka Gujjar and every single BJP worker who has bestowed this opportunity on me."