Lok Sabha Election: BJP names 111 more candidates; Kangana Ranaut, Sita Soren among bold choices in 5th candidate list

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Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will vie for the Sambalpur seat, while the party's spokesperson, Sambit Patra, will make another attempt from Puri after narrowly missing out in 2019.

Also Read: BJP 5th candidate list 2024 LIVE However, the BJP has decided not to field former Union minister Anantkumar Hegde, who has served six terms as a Lok Sabha member from Uttara Kannada, in the upcoming elections. Known for his staunch Hindutva stance, Hegde has frequently sparked controversies with his statements, including a recent remark advocating for a significant BJP mandate to amend the Constitution.

In the latest list of candidates, the BJP has refrained from granting tickets to approximately 37 sitting Members of Parliament, with nine being from Uttar Pradesh, five from Gujarat, four from Odisha, and three each from Bihar, Karnataka, and Jharkhand. The tally of incumbent MPs not receiving tickets does not encompass individuals who have recently won assembly elections, such as Diya Kumari and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in Rajasthan, or those like Nayab Singh Saini, who assumed office as Haryana chief minister, and Brijendra Singh, who has already resigned from the party.

Several leaders who switched from other parties to join the BJP have been nominated, including industrialist Naveen Jindal and Varaprasad Rao, who were formally inducted mere hours before the candidate list was unveiled. Additionally, figures like Sita Soren, Tapas Roy, and N Kiran Kumar Reddy have also been rewarded with tickets.