Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are among the 195 candidates to lead the BJP charge in the soon-to-be-held Lok Sabha polls. 

Jyotiraditya Scindia, who moved from Congress to BJP, will contest from Guna. Shivraj Chouhan, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, will once again contest from Vidisha. 

Here’s the complete list of 195 candidates:

Smriti Irani will be fighting from Amethi, where she had pulled off a shock victory against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in 2019.

As the BJP released its first list of 195 candidates for Lok Sabha polls, some omissions stood out more than the names that made it to the list. These include firebrand leader Pragya Thakur and sitting MPs from Delhi, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and Ramesh Bidhuri.

The three leaders have made headlines for their controversial remarks inside and outside Parliament, and the BJP’s move to drop them sends a message that the party is taking no chances ahead of an election in which it faces a joint Opposition.

In Bhopal, the BJP has replaced Pragya Thakur with Alok Sharma. An accused in the 2008 Malegaon bombings case, the firebrand leader’s nomination last time had sparked a huge row. The five years since then have seen her getting caught in several controversies. Out on bail on health grounds, Ms Thakur has been seen playing kabaddi and attending garba nights. But the controversy that may have harmed her the most is a statement in which she called Nathuram Godse, the man who shot Mahatma Gandhi dead, a “patriot”.

The remark drew a stern response from none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The remarks made about Gandhiji or Nathuram Godse are very bad and very wrong for society. She has sought an apology, but I would never be able to forgive her fully,” he said. Five years on, Ms Thakur has lost her seat.

Ms Thakur was at the centre of another row for her remarks on former Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who died during the 2008 terror attacks. She had said he was killed because of her “curse”. Party sources said the firebrand leader was not active in her constituency, and that played a key role in her being dropped.   

A key omission in the BJP list that surprised many was West Delhi MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma. A two-time MP and son of former Chief Minister, late Sahib Singh Verma, he is known to have a strong support base. But the 46-year-old leader has been in the news for his inciting remarks.

Ahead of the 2020 Delhi elections, Mr Verma had made controversial remarks during the Shaheen Bagh protest and said the demonstrators would be cleared in an hour if the BJP came to power in the national capital. 

In 2022, Mr Verma hit headlines again, this time for a public boycott call seemingly aimed at Muslims. “Wherever you see them, if you want to fix their head, if you want to set them straight, then the only cure is total boycott. Raise your hand if you agree,” the BJP MP had said.

Going into the 2024 polls, the BJP has its goals clear. It wants to keep the focus on Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’ call and does not want its leaders to make statements that serve as fodder for the Opposition and embarrass the ruling party.

Another MP who may have been axed for his remarks is South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri. During a discussion in Lok Sabha in September last year, Mr Bidhuri used Islamophobic slurs for Amroha MP Danish Ali. The derogatory remarks were caught on camera and sparked a huge row. While the South Delhi MP later apologised, the BJP’s first list shows it was not enough.

The other prominent Delhi MPs who have been dropped include Meenakshi Lekhi and Harsh Vardhan. The BJP, which had won every seat in the national capital in the 2019 polls, faces a joint Opposition this time. While the AAP is contesting four seats, the Congress is fighting three. BJP stalwart late Sushma Swaraj’s daughter and lawyer Bansuri has been fielded from New Delhi.

Sources in the BJP said various factors are considered during selection of candidates. “Winnability is very important. Many MPs, it was found, were unpopular in their constituencies,” a party leader said.

“But there is no doubt that leaders such as Pragya Thakur, Ramesh Bidhuri and Parvesh Verma embarrassed the party with their provocative statements. Denial of tickets to them also sends a message that in public life, decorum has to be maintained. In the past, the Prime Minister had warned the party leaders on several occasions that they should not make controversial statements,” the BJP leader added.

A total of 33 sitting MPs have not made it to the BJP’s first list of 195 candidates. Among the big names that have made it to the poll arena are former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Civil Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Around five years ago, a Spanish couple embarked upon an ambitious plan to travel the world on motorcycles. Sixty-three countries and 170,000 km later, their journey hit a harrowing bump in the quiet corners of Jharkand’s Dumka, roughly 300 km from the state capital Ranchi. The woman, 28, was allegedly gang-raped by seven men when she was spending the night with her partner in a makeshift tent. 

The couple’s journey, initially tracing from Bangladesh on two motorcycles, was intended to continue through Bihar and ultimately reach Nepal. However, the night took a dark turn as the alleged attackers targeted the unsuspecting tourists, leaving the survivor in a harrowing state. 

“Something has happened to us that we would not wish on anyone. Seven men have raped me,” the woman shared on social media, along with images showing horrific injuries to her face.

The woman and her partner, 64, later took down the video from social media, claiming that the Jharkhand Police asked them not to “disturb” the investigation. 

“The police told me to turn off the post so as not to disturb the investigation. I will post it later,” the woman shared on her Instagram stories. In a video uploaded a few hours later, the woman’s face can be seen swollen and bruised following the attack. 

“My face looks like this, but it’s not what hurts me the most. I thought we were going to die. Thank God we are alive,” she wrote. 

Manhunt On 

The police have arrested three individuals allegedly involved in the crime. A manhunt is now underway to apprehend the remaining accused. In response to the severity of the incident, a special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted to ensure a thorough and swift inquiry.

Dumka Superintendent of Police (SP), Pitambar Singh Kherwar, said yesterday that the local police patrolling team discovered the distressed couple late on Friday night. Speaking in Spanish, the victims struggled to communicate the tragedy they had endured. The police, sensing the urgency, immediately transported them to a local hospital, where the grim reality of the situation unfolded.

The survivor, a 28-year-old woman, and her 64-year-old husband are currently undergoing treatment at Phulo Jhano Medical College and Hospital in Dumka. Although both are out of immediate danger, doctors are monitoring the couple for possible trauma.

“Both are out of danger and are undergoing treatment at the hospital. The man has sustained minor injuries. The medical examination of the victim will be done by a medical board comprising three gynaecologists, a radiologist, an orthopaedic and a dentist, headed by superintendent of the medical college, Dr Anupuran Purti,” a doctor at the hospital said as quoted by news agency PTI.

Condemnation

A National Commission for Women (NCW) visited Dumka and criticised the police’s alleged incapability in promptly apprehending all the accused. NCW Chairperson, Rekha Sharma, has reached out to the victim, promising support.

Local authorities have faced criticism from various quarters. Jharkhand BJP president, Babulal Marandi, expressed deep concern, alleging laxity within the law and order machinery in the state. The incident came up in the Jharkhand Assembly during its concluding day of the budget session, leading to adjournments and heated debates.

The political finger-pointing gained momentum with the Opposition’s demanding for the suspension of the Dumka SP and the formation of a probe committee. The alleged crime occurred on the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concerns about the alleged law and order situation in Jharkhand during a rally in the state.