The BJP on Saturday replaced Union Minister Uma Bharti with Anurag Sharma as party’s nominee from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Lok Sabha while dropping ten sitting MPs. Anurag Sharma, the new candidate from Jahnsi, is the owner of Baidhyanath Group.
Bharti had already announced that she would not contest the elections . Another woman Union Minister Sushma Swaraj (MP from Vidisha, MP) had also opted out from Lok Sabha poll citing health reasons. This week Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said she was not aspiring for the Lok Sabha ticket and party was free to nominate anyone from her Indore, MP, seat.
The party announced 24 candidates includes eight candidates in Haryana, four each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and three each in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. Party has dropped ten sitting MPs including Bharti and five-time MP from Ranchi Ram Tahal Choudhary. BJP has also dropped Banda (UP) Lok Sabha MP Bhairon Prasad Mishra and replaced him by RK Patel, while Nilam Sonkar has retained her Lalganj seat. From Phulpur, the party has fielded Keshri Devi Patel.
The BJP also announced its candidates for one seat each in West Bengal and Odisha.
With this, the party has so far announced 407 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls which will start on April 11 and continue till May 19. The counting of the votes will take place on May 23.
According to sources, BJP’s list of seven candidates for Delhi is ready and will be released the moment Congress- AAP take a official call on their tie-up. A decision on the alliance may come within a day or two. BJP may drop some of the exiting party MPs. Former cricket Guatam Gambir who joined BJP recently is said to be a potential candidate one of the seats, sources said.
Meanwhile Former vice chief of Army staff Lieutenant General (retd) Sarath Chand joined the BJP on Saturday in presence of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Sarath Chand was commissioned into the Garhwal Rifles in June 1979 and retired as vice chief of Indian Army on June 1 last year. He has been in active combat leadership roles at every stage of command in the Army.
“In today’s global scenario, the country needs a strong leadership. I was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership that’s why I am joining BJP,” said Chand.
Continuing its attack on the Congress close to the first phase of poll on April 11, the BJP on accused the Congress of making multiple false promises in its election manifestos of 2004 and 2009 and said people are smart enough to not be misled by such promises this time. “For us, manifesto is a very important document. The way Congress takes its manifesto, and the way it has been making false promises...This country’s people are smart enough to reject such false promises,” said Railway Minister Piyush Goyal at a press conference at the BJP office here.
“Through lying and by making false statements, this country’s people can not be misled,” he added.
Going into the detail, Goyal said, “Congress made big promises in all of its previous manifestos. In 2004 and in 2009, the Congress promised that it will provide direct income to farmers. After running the government for 10 years, they did not do anything about it.”
Goyal said it was under the Modi government that a decision was taken to give Rs 6,000 to poor farmers. “It was implemented within 24 days, and currently, all poor farmers have started getting annual Rs 6,000 assistance,” he said, referring to the first installment of Rs 2,000 released by the government.
Goyal also accused the Congress of making the false promise of providing electricity to every home in the country in 2004 — and again in 2009. “The then Congress president even said in 2004 that within 3-5 years, we will provide electricity to every home,” he said.