With the BJP putting forward new candidates for seven Lok Sabha seats in the initial list of 15 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan, the current MPs who remain are anxious about how the party leadership views their chances of winning. Since winning is crucial for the party to secure all 25 seats in the upcoming elections, the future of the other 10 incumbent MPs hangs uncertain.
In the first list announced on Saturday, the BJP kept eight sitting MPs and nominated new candidates for seven seats. Two of these seats were empty after the sitting MPs won in the 2023 assembly elections.
The candidates for Bikaner, Churu, Sikar, Alwar, Bharatpur, Nagaur, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Kota, and Jhalawar-Baran have been declared in the first list, while the announcement of candidates for Ajmer, Bhilwara, Dausa, Ganganagar, Jaipur, Jaipur Rural, Jhunjhunu, Karauli-Dholpur, Rajsamand, and Tonk-Sawai Madhopur is awaited.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 24 seats, and its ally Hanuman Beniwal of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) won the Nagaur seat, making it a clean sweep of all 25 seats by the NDA.
However, Beniwal's RLP is no longer allied with the NDA, and he currently serves as an MLA.
In the 2014 LS elections, the BJP won all 25 seats independently.
In the first list, the BJP retained all three Union ministers - Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Jodhpur), Arjun Meghwal (Bikaner), and Kailash Choudhary (Barmer), along with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla (Kota-Bundi), BJP state president CP Joshi (Chittorgarh), Sumedhanand (Sikar), P P Chaudhary (Pali), and Dushyant Singh (Jhalawar-Baran).
Sitting MPs whose tickets have been denied include Rahul Kaswan (Churu), Ranjeeta Koli (Bharatpur), Devji Patel (Jalore), Arjun Lal Meena (Udaipur), and Kanakmal Katara (Banswara), while the Alwar and Nagaur seats were empty after the BJP's Baba Balaknath and RLP's Hanuman Beniwal won assembly elections last December.
There were apparent differences between two-time Churu MP Rahul Kaswan and former opposition leader Rajendra Rathore, leading to speculation that Kaswan was denied a ticket due to internal conflicts, especially since he was held responsible for Rathore's loss in the assembly elections.
Kaswan has been replaced by newcomer and Paralympic gold medalist Devendra Jhajhadia in Churu, while Devji Patel, who lost in the 2023 assembly elections, was replaced by Lumbaram Choudhary.
Similarly, Jyoti Mirdha, who switched from Congress to BJP before the assembly elections last year, received a ticket for the vacant Nagaur seat. Other new candidates include Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya (Banswara), Mannalal Rawat (Udaipur), and Ramswaroop Koli (Bharatpur).
Former Congress minister Malviya recently joined the BJP.
For the Alwar seat, left vacant after Baba Balaknath's assembly election win, the party nominated Rajya Sabha MP and Union minister Bhupender Yadav.
A senior party leader emphasized that "winnability" is the sole criterion for ticket selection, aiming to win all 25 Lok Sabha seats and ensure NDA's success.
Regarding the remaining seats, a decision is expected this week. Two of these seats, Jaipur Rural and Rajsamand, have been empty since BJP MPs Rajyavardhan Rathore and Diya Kumari won the assembly elections. New candidates will be nominated for these seats.
Additionally, Ajmer MP Bhagirath Chaudhary and Jhunjhunu MP Narendra Kumar, who lost in the assembly elections, are likely to be replaced.
There are speculations that former opposition leader Rajendra Rathore and former deputy opposition leader Satish Poonia, who lost in the assembly elections, might be nominated for the Lok Sabha elections. It's rumored that Rathore might contest from Rajsamand and Poonia from Ajmer or Jaipur Rural.
When approached, a sitting MP stated, "Ticket selection is determined by the party leadership based on various factors, so it's up to the party to decide."
