BJP Releases Fifth List of Candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections: Kangana Ranaut, Maneka Gandhi, and New Faces in the Spotlight

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday released their fifth list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024, consisting of 111 nominees. Among the notable names is Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, who will contest from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi constituency. Additionally, the party has made significant changes, dropping Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit while nominating Maneka Gandhi from her Sultanpur stronghold. Former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Ganguly has been fielded from Bengal’s Tamluk constituency.

The BJP has fielded actor Kangana Ranaut and Arun Govil being chosen for the Mandi and Meerut seats respectively. Notably, Varun Gandhi has been replaced by ex-Congress MP Jitin Prasada in Pilibhit, while Maneka Gandhi retains her candidacy in Sultanpur. Furthermore, Union ministers Ashwini Kumar Choubey and V K Singh have been omitted, with Dharmendra Pradhan now contesting from Sambalpur.

The fifth list of candidates also features new entrants, including industrialist and former Congress MP Naveen Jindal, who recently joined the party. Sita Soren, who joined the saffron party recently, will contest from Dumka in Jharkhand, while ex-Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde has been omitted. Notably, Sambit Patra will again contest from Odisha's Puri constituency.

In Maharashtra, the BJP has named MLA Ram Satpute for the Solapur seat, while MP Sunil Mendhe will retain his candidacy for Bhandara-Gondiya. In addition, Ashok Nete has been nominated for Gadchiroli-Chimur.

The Bharatiya Janata Party named 19 candidates from West Bengal. The party has relocated Dilip Ghosh to Bardhaman–Durgapur from Medinipur, and has fielded Agnimitra Paul from the Medinipur seat to go head on against Trinamool Congress’s June Malia. Rekha Patra, a prominent voice in the Sandeshkhali protests will contest from Basirhat. Furthermore, there have been strategic shifts in other constituencies, former Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Ganguly has been fielded from the Tamluk constituency. Amrita Roy, hailing from the royal family of Krishnanagar, will contest for the Krishnanagar seat against TMC's Mahua Moitra.

Arjun Singh, who rejoined the BJP this month after leaving the Trinamool Congress, has been re-nominated as the MP for Barrackpore. Jayanta Ray remains the nominee for Jalpaiguri, while former TMC leader Tapas Ray, now a BJP member, has been selected for the Kolkata North constituency.