Lok Sabha elections 2024: Why selecting candidates for 7 seats vacated for assembly polls is challenging for BJP in Madhya Pradesh?

After a resounding triumph in the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

The groundwork for Mission-29 has commenced, but the party is confronted with the challenging task of selecting candidates for seven seats vacated by MPs who contested and won in the assembly polls. Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha seats

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured victory in 28 seats, with the Congress managing to win only the Chhindwara seat, currently held by Nakul Nath.

The BJP is now setting its sights on the Chhindwara seat as well, making Mission-29 pivotal in its efforts to win all 29 seats.

The party's strategy in the assembly elections involved fielding seven MPs, including three former Union ministers. Out of these, five emerged victorious while two faced defeat.

Party needs to introduce new faces to replace those MPs who have become MLAs

Now, the party needs to introduce new faces to replace those MPs who have transitioned to become MLAs. The decision of whether the candidates who lost in the assembly elections will be given another opportunity remains uncertain.

Among the former BJP MPs who contested in the assembly polls, Narendra Singh Tomar represented Morena, a Kshatriya-dominated area. Prahlad Singh Patel was an MP from Damoh, an OBC-dominated locality. Rakesh Singh represented Jabalpur, a general category-dominated parliamentary constituency, while Riti Pathak was an MP from Sidhi, a Brahmin class-dominated Lok Sabha constituency. Uday Pratap Singh represented Hoshangabad, a general class-dominated parliamentary seat.

The two former MPs who faced defeat in the assembly polls are Ganesh Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste. Ganesh Singh represented Satna, a parliamentary constituency dominated by the OBC class, while Kulaste was an MP from Mandla, a Lok Sabha seat dominated by the tribal class.

Questions are now arising within the party regarding the consideration of MPs who lost in the assembly polls.

Political analysts suggest that the BJP not only needs to find candidates for the seats vacated by former MPs but also must strategize to bring about changes in places where the party faced defeat. Satna and Mandla are specifically highlighted as parliamentary constituencies where the party needs an effective strategy.