Lok Sabha elections: Controversial MPs missing from BJP's first list
What's the story
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Saturday, swapping out 33 sitting MPs for fresh faces.
The list included five candidates for Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, of which four are replacements for sitting MPs.
Notably absent from the list were controversial leaders like Parvesh Singh Verma, Jayant Sinha, Sadhvi Singh Pragya Thakur, and Ramesh Bidhuri.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The BJP's move to replace contentious leaders suggested that the party wished to avoid any controversy surrounding its Lok Sabha candidates.
This is because the party is seeking a third term and has set a target of winning over 370 Lok Sabha seats and over 400 seats for its National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
For the same reason, the party announced the Lok Sabha list early so that candidates have enough time to campaign.
Details
Replacements, new faces in BJP's first list
Per the initial list, the BJP has dropped two-term MP Harsh Vardhan from Chandani Chowk and nominated Praveen Khandelwal as its candidate.
The party also replaced the two-term MP Parvesh Verma with Kamaljeet Sehrawat in West Delhi.
Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, has been announced as a contender for the New Delhi Lok Sabha seat, which is presently held by Meenakshi Lekhi.
Similarly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri replaced Ramesh Bidhuri in South Delhi.
Sadhvi Pragya Thakur
Past statements on Godse, Karkare haunt Bhopal MP
In Madhya Pradesh, MP Thakur from Bhopal constituency has been replaced by Alok Sharma.
To recall, Thakur sparked widespread condemnation by comparing former Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare to mythological figures Ravana and Kans.
She also praised Mahatma Gandhi's assassin, Nathuram Godse, as a "patriot" on a separate occasion.
Following the outrage, she apologized for her statement, but the party leadership was not pleased with her remarks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called them "extremely condemnable."
Ramesh Bidhuri
South Delhi MP replaced after deregatory remarks in Parliament
In September last year, Bidhuri sparked a massive row by making derogatory remarks against Amroha MP Danish Ali during a discussion on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
The BJP MP's comments drew widespread criticism, after which party president Jagat Prakash Nadda reportedly issued a show cause notice to him.
The offending remarks were expunged from Parliamentary records, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh promptly expressed regret for Bidhuri's conduct during the session.
Parvesh Singh Verma
'Economic boycott' comments knock West Delhi MP off BJP list
Separately, Verma has been replaced, probably due to the controversy he triggered last year when he allegedly called for an "economic boycott" of a particular community.
He made these comments during a gathering titled "Virat Hindu Sabha," organized by the local unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindu organizations in East Delhi on October 9 last year.
In his speech, Verma advocated for a "complete boycott" of "these people" without explicitly naming any particular community.
Jayant Sinha
Lynching incident in 2019 brings bad omen for Jharkhand leader
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Manish Jaiswal has replaced another sitting party MP, Sinha, from the Hazaribag Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand.
In 2019, Sinha said he and other BJP leaders provided financial assistance to pay the legal fees of people accused of lynching a meat trader in Jharkhand's Ramgarh in 2017.
His admission came a year after he triggered a controversy by felicitating and posing with the six accused after they were released on bail.