The Delhi unit of the party is dissatisfied with a few sitting MPs.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to introduce new faces in the upcoming Lok Sabha election in 2024 in Delhi. The saffron party, currently holding all 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, may field new candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, scheduled in a few months.
A source within the party indicated that the party’s highlighting of new names in public gatherings suggests that these individuals may be fielded in the general election. The Delhi unit of the party is apparently dissatisfied with the performance of a few current MPs in the National Capital and is considering replacing them with new candidates.
“The party is looking to replace Hans Raj Hans, the current Member of Parliament from northwest Delhi, and Chandni Chowk MP Harsh Vardhan,” said the source. He added that the party is considering fielding Bansuri Swaraj this time. Talks are also underway with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar to contest from the Chandni Chowk constituency. The party may release its first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha election as early as the last week of February, following the completion of its National Council meetings.
Psephologist Sanjay Kumar, interviewed by The Sunday Guardian, stated, “This is not surprising if the BJP does that, as the BJP used to do it; it was a part of their strategy, and they used to do it regularly.”
“If you see the BJP’s strategy, the BJP is continuously doing it. Previously, they changed the Gujarat cabinet just before the election. It was also seen in recently commenced Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, where the BJP has introduced new faces as their CM. So if the BJP does similar things in Delhi, that won’t surprise me, as that’s the BJP’s strategy. The BJP tends to bring new faces to contest elections for them,” said Sanjay Kumar.
Kumar added that the party changes candidates after evaluating the incumbent MPs’ performance, and if it falls short, they tend to replace them with new candidates.