New Delhi

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party released its first list of candidates for the upcoming General Elections in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third consecutive term. With 195 candidates from across 16 states announced on Saturday (Mar 2), the BJP has attempted to strike a balance between the old guard and new faces. The party led by JP Nadda has also attempted to balance the social representation on caste lines.

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The first list included 28 women and 47 candidates below 50 years of age. 

Here are the top takeaways from the first list announced by the BJP:

Former chief ministers named as BJP candidates: The BJP has named former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb as candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

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Focus on pushing new generation of leaders: The BJP has named Bansuri Swaraj, the lawyer and daughter of late former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, as Lok Sabha candidate from the New Delhi constituency. From Kerala, former defence minister and Congress leader A K Antony's son Anil K Antony has been named the BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta. 

Winnability a key factor: The state of Kerala has been an Opposition fortress with the ruling BJP failing to make much inroads. The BJP's first list shows the saffron party's radical attempts to expand its footprint in the state. The union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been named BJP candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, currently represented in parliament by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor. National Award-winning actor Suresh Gopi has been named the BJP candidate from Thrissur. 

Representation on caste lines: With a focus on social justice on caste and gender lines, the list includes 29 per cent Other Backward Castes (57 candidates), 14 per cent Scheduled Castes (27 candidates), and 9 per cent Scheduled Tribes (18 candidates).

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BJP tackles Delhi dilemma with new candidates: The party has retained only Manoj Tiwari from northeast Delhi in its first list of five candidates from Delhi, replacing former union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Parvesh Verma, Ramesh Bidhuri and serving union minister Meenakshi Lekhi.