With all 25 Lok Sabha seats in its purse for the last two elections, in 2014 and 2019, (one alliance MP from RLP), the BJP has dropped 12 sitting MPs replacing them by new candidates while fielding five new women contestants for the Lok Sabha elections with an aim to make a hat trick.

In its last list for Rajasthan, the saffron party on Sunday placed Damodar Agarwal, state general secretary from the Bhilwara Lok Sabha seat by dropping sitting MP Subhash Baheria.

Of the 25 MPs elected in the 2019 LS polls, the BJP has 24 MPs and one of alliance partner RLP Hanuman Beniwal who had quit the NDA during the farmers’ agitation.

Two MPs, Rajya Vardhan Singh Rathore from Jaipur Rural and Divya Kumari from Rajsamand, vacated the LS seat after winning the last year’s assembly seats from Jaipur’s Jhotwara, and Vidhyadhar Nagar constituencies respectively.

The eleven sitting MPs dropped are: Nihal Chand from Sri Ganganagar, Rahul Kaswan from Churu, Narendra Kumar from Jhunjhunu, Ramchandra Bohra-Jaipur, Balak Nath- Alwar, Ranjeeta Koli-Bharatpur, Manoj Rajoria-Karauli-Dholpur, Jaskaur Meena- Dausa, Devji Patel-Jalore, Arjun Lal Meena-Udaipur, Kanakmal Katara-Banswara, and Subhash Chandra Meharia-Bhilwara.

Ten MPs who are repeated are: Arjun Meghwal (Bikaner), Sumedanand Sarsawati (Sikar), SukhbirSingh Jaunapuria (Tonk-Sawaimadhopur), Bhagirath Choudhary (Ajmer), PP Choudhari (Pali), G S Shekhawat (Jodhpur), Kailash Choudhary (Barmer), C P Joshi (Chittorgarh), Om Birla (Kota), and Dushyant Singh (Jhalawar- Baran).

Among the five women contestants are Jyoti Mirdha, former Congress MP who joined the BJP on the eve of assembly elections, is contesting on Nagaur LS seat against RLP (now India bloc partner) Hanuman Beniwal.

Second woman, Mahima, is wife of Nathdwara BJP MLA Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, will contest on Rajsamand LS seat against Congress’ Damodar Gurjar.

Third woman, Manju Sharma, daughter of veteran BJP leader late Bhanwar Lal Sharma, is in direct contest with the former Congress Minister Pratap Singh Khachariawas who also lost the last assembly poll.

Fourth woman, Priyanka Balan, chairman of the Anoopgarh Municipal Council to face a poll battle with Kuldeep Indora, a young Congress leader in the Sriganganagar LS seat.

Fifth one, Indu Devi Jatav, a Pradhan in the village of Bugdar and wife of sitting MP Manoj Rajoria, will be contesting against Congress’ Bhajan Lal Jatav in the Karauli-Dholpur constituency.

While the BJP had fielded four women candidates in 2004 LS polls, 3 in 2009, one in 2014, and 3 in 2019. The BJP has not given any ticket to a minority community candidate in this election.