The Bharatiya Janata Party released the first list of its candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections 2024 on Saturday. The party has released the names of candidates for three out of the five Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttarakhand. According to the list released by the BJP, the sitting MPs of Tehri, Almora (reserved) and Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar constituencies have been repeated. The party will field Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah from Tehri, Ajay Tamta from Almora and Ajay Bhatt from Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar constituencies. The names of the party candidates for the Garhwal and Haridwar parliamentary constituencies are yet to be announced.
It is pertinent to mention here that there was some speculation that the party would field new candidates from the Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand instead of fielding the sitting MPs. However, the announcement of names of the candidates for three out of five constituencies in the State has put such speculation to rest. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ is the current MP of Haridwar while Tirath Singh Rawat is the Garhwal MP. While Nishank has been instrumental in bringing a considerable number of leaders and workers of various parties into the BJP, Rawat is known for his non-controversial tenure. It now remains to be seen whether the party will field the sitting MPs from these two seats or announce new candidates.
