NEW DELHI: After release of the second list of candidates for 72 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP is likely to drop some more sitting MPs who have a penchant for stoking controversies, party leaders said.
“Those who have a penchant to stoke controversies land the party in an embarrassing situation. The PM wants to field non-controversial candidates to the extent possible,” a senior BJP functionary said, adding that the third list is expected to have more “clean and non-controversial leaders” than the first and second ones.
“Anant Hedge and Pratap Simha from Karnataka were dropped after they triggered controversy recently. Hedge’s statement that 400 seats are needed to make an amendment in the Constitution was used by INDIA bloc against the NDA. The party avoided them like others for the LS elections,” said a BJP leader wishing not to be named.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working on the mantra of “maximum governance and minimum government” without controversy on anything. “It is expected that the BJP’s third list will drop more than a dozen sitting MPs. Bihar is not going to be an exception,” he said, adding that the list of candidates for Delhi speaks of it.
Citing the example of Simha, who had recommended passes to the Lok Sabha for those who had jumped from the gallery breaching security, sources expected that over a couple of dozens of sitting MPs may be dropped in the third list for their controversial remarks.
The BJP denied ticket to Pritam Munde for creating controversy while Pankaja Munde was given in his place in Maharashtra. “But leaders like Goyal and Gadakri who stayed away from any controversy were given tickets on seats of their choice,” the leader said.
Sources said some MPs from Bihar may be dropped. “One of them is a minister now in the Modi government,” said a source. “As the upcoming general elections will be fought and won with Modi as the mascot of party, the BJP wants to set an example of fielding clean and non-controversial candidates to a great extent,” he said.
Preneet Kaur, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh’s wife who joined the BJP, is among a dozen of other new faces likely to get tickets.