Eyeing 50% vote share, BJP likely to contest more seats in 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Listen to Story Running high on confidence after winning assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to contest more seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections compared to 2019. The party plans to announce its candidates' names in late January or early February, sources told .

In its initial list, the BJP is anticipated to reveal the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, and Home Minister Amit Shah. This follows a similar pattern from the 2019 elections when PM Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh's names were announced in the party's first list. The forthcoming list will feature candidates for more seats, particularly in the 164 constituencies where the party previously struggled or narrowly won in 2019.

Over the past two years, the BJP has been actively focusing on these challenging seats. In the previous Lok Sabha elections, the BJP contested 436 out of 543 seats, securing victories in 303 seats while facing defeat in 133. The party is also addressing 31 other weaker constituencies, grouping 164 seats and assigning responsibilities to central ministers and senior leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah.

These seats have been categorised into 'C' and 'D' groups, with 45 ministers overseeing two to three seats each. With a decrease in the number of allied parties this time around compared to 2019, the BJP aims to contest more seats across states where it previously had alliances—such as with Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, JD(U) in Bihar, Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, and RLP in Rajasthan.

The BJP has identified 14 weak seats in Uttar Pradesh, where they faced defeat in 16 seats in the last elections. However, they secured victories in two seats through by polls Rae Bareli and Mainpuri. The party plans to announce candidates for various constituencies including Rae Bareli, Mainpuri, Bijnor, Saharanpur, Sambhal, Muradabad, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Rampur, Azamgarh, Nagina, Amroha, Ambedkar Nagar, Shravasti, Ghosi, and Lalganj in the first list.

Some of these constituencies are considered strongholds of the Samajwadi Party, and the BJP is making concerted efforts to strengthen its presence in these regions. Similarly, Bihar will see announcements for Nawada, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar, Munger, Gaya, and Supaul constituencies. The Chhindwara seat in Madhya Pradesh, previously a stronghold of former CM Kamal Nath, falls under the BJP's focus due to past setbacks.

Minister of Rural Development Giriraj Singh has been entrusted with responsibility for this seat. Kerala will witness contests in seats such as Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, and Tanmatitta, where the BJP might field Suresh Gopi from Thrissur. In Maharashtra, the battleground will be in Baramati, Buldhana, Aurangabad, Amritsar in Punjab, Anandpur Sahib, Bhatinda, and Gurdaspur.

While discussions about alliances in Punjab, Maharashtra, and Bihar continue, adjustments in contesting specific seats are under consideration. The BJP is contemplating not offering tickets to Lok Sabha MPs over 70 years of age or those who have won elections more than three times, opting instead for new faces.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target to secure more than 50 per cent of the votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections..