BJP names 3 more LS candidates, fields six former Congress MLAs from Himachal in Assembly bypolls

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday announced three more candidates for the coming Lok Sabha elections, dropping all its sitting MPs, including Union minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, from these seats won by it in 2019 polls.

The party has decided to field Thounaojam Basanta Kumar Singh, a minister in the Manipur government, from the Inner Manipur constituency in place of the Union minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.

In two Rajasthan constituencies, the BJP has fielded Indu Devi Jatav and Kanhaiya Lal

Meena from Karauli-Dholpur and Dausa respectively, dropping sitting MPs Manoj Rajoria and Jaskaur Meena.

With the latest nominations, the BJP has now announced its candidates for 401 seats so far for the elections to the 543-member Lok Sabha, scheduled to be held between April 19 and June 1.

In another development in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh, the BJP named six former Congress MLAs, disqualified from the House, as its candidates for the state Assembly bypolls.

The BJP on Tuesday named its candidates for the Assembly bypolls in several states, including Gujarat, Sikkim, West Bengal and Karnataka.

It has fielded the six MLAs from the seats they held as Congress members before their disqualification. Sudhir Sharma has been nominated from Dharamshala, Ravi Thakur from Lahaul and Spiti, Rajinder Rana from Sujanpur,

Inder Dutt Lakhanpal from Barsar, Chetanya Sharma from Gagret and Devinder Kumar Bhutto from Kutlehar.

All six of them switched over to the BJP from the Congress on March 23, nearly a month after being disqualified from the House for defying a party whip to be present and vote in favour of the Congressled

government during the cut motions and budget.

Shortly before the BJP list was released, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, “People of Himachal are intelligent, they believe in democracy and will give a befitting reply to those practising ‘aaya ram, gaya ram’ culture in Dev Bhumi Himachal.”

Referring to the nine MLAs — six Congress rebels and three independents — who voted in favour of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha elections, Sukhu said they have “sold their souls” and should now face the public.

“We will face the political challenge on

It has fielded the six MLAs from the seats they held as Congress members before their disqualification