Yogi Adityanath
Vibha Sharma
New Delhi, January 15
The BJP today fielded UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Gorakhpur (Urban) and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya from Sirathu in Prayagraj. Releasing the first list of 107 candidates, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said it was the party’s decision to field Adityanath from Gorakhpur.
Earlier, there were speculations that Adityanath, who will be contesting his first Assembly election, could be fielded from Ayodhya.
Sources say Adityanath has been fielded from Gorakhpur (Urban) as it is part of the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat which he had won five times.
Except for Adityanath and Maurya, all names are for 105 of the 113 seats which will go to the polls in the first two phases on February 10 and 14. The first list included members from all sections of society, Pradhan said, adding that of the 83 sitting MLAs, 63 had been repeated and 21 were new faces.
The party has fielded around 10 women candidates and also tried to negate the perception caused by exodus of OBC leaders by giving significant representation to the politically important caste bloc. Apart from 44 from the OBC communities, there are 19 SC candidates on the list, including one from a general category seat.
Key contestants
Prominent candidates include Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s son Pankaj Singh (Noida), Power Minister Shrikant Sharma (Mathura) and Uttarakhand ex-Governor Baby Rani Maurya (Agra Rural)
107 names on BJP’s first list for UP
- 44 OBC candidates figure on list
- 43 are from upper castes
- 19 belong to SC community
- 10 are women candidates
- 63 sitting MLAs repeated, 21 are new faces
The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.
Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.
Most Read In 24 Hours
Don't Miss
View All
Top News
Over 63 per cent turnout in Phase 2 of Lok Sabha polls; Tripura records 79.46 per cent, Manipur 77.32
The Election Commission says polling remained largely peacef...
Arvind Kejriwal as CM even after arrest puts political interest over national interest: Delhi High Court
The court says the Delhi government is ‘interested in approp...
Amritpal Singh to contest Lok Sabha poll from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib, confirms mother
The formal announcement is made by his mother Balwinder Kaur...
Supreme Court dismisses PILs seeking 100% cross-verification of EVM votes with VVPAT slips
Bench however, issues certain directions to Election Commiss...
Will stop functioning in India if made to break encryption of messages: WhatsApp to Delhi High Court
Facebook and Whatsapp have recently challenged the new rules...
