BJP Releases 5th List of Candidates For LS Polls: Kangana Ranaut, Dhamendra Pradhan, Sambit Patra Included

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its fifth list of 111 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections across 17 states. Notable inclusions are Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, former Congress MP Naveen Jindal, former judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, and actor Arun Govil.

The Central Election Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided on the following names for the upcoming General Elections to the Lok Sabha. Here is the fifth list. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/lKmJke6WOb

— BJP (@BJP4India) March 24, 2024

Ranaut, hailing from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, her birthplace, has been nominated as the BJP candidate for the Mandi seat. On the other hand, Naveen Jindal, who recently switched allegiance from Congress to BJP, secured a ticket for the Kurukshetra seat in Haryana.

My beloved Bharat and Bhartiya Janta’s own party, Bharatiya Janta party ( BJP) has always had my unconditional support, today the national leadership of BJP has announced me as their Loksabha candidate from my birth place Himachal Pradesh, Mandi (constituency) I abide by the high…

— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) March 24, 2024

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has been fielded from Sambalpur in Odisha, while BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra will run from Puri.

Meanwhile, Varun Gandhi was dropped from the Pilibhit seat in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP fielding former Congress leader Jitin Prasada instead. However, Maneka Gandhi, Varun’s mother and former Union Minister, has been retained for the Sultanpur seat.

Arun Govil, famed for portraying Lord Ram in the iconic TV series Ramayan, will contest from the Meerut Lok Sabha seat. Additionally, former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay has been nominated for the Tamluk seat in West Bengal.

Notable defections from Trinamool Congress to BJP include Arjun Singh and Tapas Roy, who will vie for the Barrackpore and Kolkata North seats, respectively. Further diversifying their candidate pool, the BJP has nominated Rekha Patra from Sandeshkhali, known for her activism against former Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, for the Bashirhat Lok Sabha constituency.

Rajmata Amrita Roy, a recent BJP entrant from the Krishnanagar Royal family, will compete against Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra for the Krishnanagar seat.

In an intriguing matchup, Kerala BJP president K Surendran will go head-to-head against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Wayanad constituency. Additionally, former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Sita Soren, the sister-in-law of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, will contest from the Dumka constituency.