Lok Sabha Polls 2024 : Five takeaways from the first BJP candidate list

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) released the names of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections here in the national capital on March 2.

The first list of 195 candidates features high-profile names such as who will again contest from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah who will contest from Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

Of the 195 leaders, 51 are from , 20 from West Bengal and five from Delhi. The first BJP candidate list includes 28 women, 47 leaders under the age of 50, and 57 members from the OBC community.

Here are five takeaways from the first list announced by the BJP.

The BJP's list of 195 names comes days before the dates of Lok Sabha polls 2024 - to be held in April-May - are announced by the (ECI). This at a time when many parties with the opposition's are striving to arrive at a seat-sharing formula in some states. Announcing names before the dates are announced, gives candidates time to prepare for the polls in advance.

The BJP has fielded four in the candidates for five seats that it announced on Saturday. For now, the BJP has not fielded sitting members of parliament such as, former Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri and West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma.

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Analysts said the decision to field new faces in Delhi comes from the fact that the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress party are contesting the Lok Sabha elections in the national capital as part of alliance. The BJP is clearly experimenting in Delhi and giving a tough fight to INDIA bloc parties, they said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of 370 seats. We need to fight each and every seat to meet that target," said a BJP leader who did not