The results for the Lok Sabha elections of 2024 have been announced, delivering a surprising outcome for supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who had anticipated a massive victory for their party. The BJP secured 240 seats, with their alliance, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), garnering a total of 292 seats—significantly fewer than the previous elections. In contrast, the Congress party surged to 99 seats, with its alliance amassing a total of 234 seats.
After the results were announced, a surge of analyses and discussions ensued, seeking to decipher the underlying causes of the BJP’s unforeseen downturn. A significant number of observers attribute this setback to the influx of new members from other political parties into the BJP. This influx has drawn criticism for potentially diluting the party’s core values, ideology, and consistency.
Moreover, the inclusion of certain tainted leaders into the party has raised doubts regarding the BJP’s stance of zero tolerance towards corruption.
Amidst this wave of speculation and scrutiny, we present an in-depth look at 15 candidates who joined the BJP in the last one year (January 2023- March 2024). Of these new entrants, only five managed to secure victories, resulting in a strikingly low success rate of just 27 per cent. In several constituencies, these candidates did not even achieve second place.
Below is a detailed analysis of the data, sourced from the official website of the Election Commission of India (ECI):
Assam (Nowgong Seat): Suresh Bora
Suresh Bora, who switched from the Congress to the BJP on November 11, 2023, contested the Nowgong seat in Assam. Despite his party change, Bora was unsuccessful in the election, securing 576,619 votes. He lost to Pradyut Bordoloi of the INC, who garnered 788,850 votes. A total of 11 candidates competed for this seat, making it a highly contested race. In 2019, he contested from the Nowgong constituency in Assam as a Congress candidate but was defeated.
Chhattisgarh (Surguja): Chintamani Maharaj
Chintamani Maharaj, who joined the BJP on October 31, 2023, achieved a significant victory in Surguja, Chhattisgarh. He won the seat with 713,200 votes, defeating Shashi Singh Koram of the INC by a margin of 64,822 votes. Koram received 648,378 votes. There were 10 candidates in total vying for this seat. Chintamani Maharaj did not contest in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as he was a Congress MLA from Samri.
Kerala (Kannur): C Raghunath
C Raghunath, who became a BJP member on December 24, 2023, ran for the Kannur seat in Kerala but was defeated. He received 119,876 votes, losing to K. Sudhakaran of the INC, who secured 518,524 votes, a margin of 398,648 votes. The election saw 12 candidates contesting the seat. C Raghunath did not contest in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Kannur constituency. P.K. Sreemathi of the CPI(M) won the seat.
Rajasthan (Nagaur): Jyoti Mirdha
Jyoti Mirdha, who joined the BJP on September 11, 2023, contested the Nagaur seat in Rajasthan. She lost by a margin of 42,225 votes, receiving 554,730 votes. Hanuman Beniwal of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party won the seat with 596,955 votes. There were 9 candidates in the fray for this seat. Jyoti Mirdha contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from the Nagaur constituency in Rajasthan. However, she contested as a candidate of the Indian National Congress (INC) party.
Rajasthan (Banswara): Mahendra Malviya
Mahendra Malviya, who joined the BJP on February 19, 2024, contested the Banswara seat in Rajasthan. He lost to Raj Kumar Roat of the Bharat Adivasi Party by 247,054 votes, receiving 573,777 votes. Roat garnered 820,831 votes. A total of 8 candidates contested this seat.
Andhra Pradesh (Tirupati): Varaprasad Rao
Varaprasad Rao, who joined the BJP on March 25, 2024, contested the Tirupati seat in Andhra Pradesh. He lost to Gurumoorthy Maddil of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party by 14,569 votes, receiving 617,659 votes. Maddil secured 632,228 votes. Chinta Mohan of the INC stood third with 65,523 votes. Twenty-three candidates competed for this seat.
Andhra Pradesh (Rajampet): Kiran Kumar Reddy
Kiran Kumar Reddy, who joined the BJP in April 2023, contested the Rajampet seat in Andhra Pradesh. He received 568,773 votes, losing to P V Midhun Reddy of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, who won with 644,844 votes. Shaik Basheed of the INC came third with 53,300 votes. Eighteen candidates contested this seat.
Haryana (Kurukshetra): Naveen Jindal
Naveen Jindal, who joined the BJP on March 24, 2024, won the Kurukshetra seat in Haryana with 542,175 votes. He defeated Dr. Sushil Gupta of the Aam Aadmi Party, who received 513,154 votes, and Abhay Singh Chautala of the INC, who got 78,708 votes. A total of 31 candidates contested this seat.
Jharkhand (Dumka): Sita Murmu
Sita Murmu, who joined the BJP on March 19, 2024, contested the Dumka seat in Jharkhand. She lost to Nalin Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, receiving 524,843 votes. Nalin Soren secured 547,370 votes. The election saw 19 candidates competing for this seat.
Odisha (Kalahandi): Malvika Keshari Deo
Malvika Keshari Deo, who joined the BJP in April 2023, won the Kalahandi seat in Odisha with 544,303 votes. She defeated Lambodar Nial of the Biju Janata Dal, who received 410,490 votes. A total of 11 candidates contested this seat.
Telangana (Warangal): Aroori Ramesh
Aroori Ramesh, who joined the BJP on March 16, 2024, contested the Warangal seat in Telangana. He lost to Kadiyam Kavya of the INC by 360,955 votes, receiving 581,294 votes. Forty-two candidates competed for this seat.
West Bengal (Kolkata Uttar): Tapas Roy
Tapas Roy, who joined the BJP on March 6, 2024, contested the Kolkata Uttar seat in West Bengal. He lost to Bandyopadhyay Sudip of the TMC, receiving 362,136 votes. Sudip garnered 454,696 votes. The INC candidate Pradip Bhattacharya received 114,982 votes. Fifteen candidates contested this seat.
West Bengal (Barrackpore): Arjun Singh
Arjun Singh, who joined the BJP on March 15, 2024, contested the Barrackpore seat in West Bengal. He stood second with 455,793 votes, losing to Partha Bhowmick of the TMC, who received 520,231 votes. Debdut Ghosh of CPI(M) secured 109,564 votes. Fourteen candidates contested this seat.
Odisha (Cuttack): Bhartruhari Mahtab
Bhartruhari Mahtab, who joined the BJP on March 28, 2024, won the Cuttack seat in Odisha with 531,601 votes. He defeated Santrupt Misra of the BJP, who received 474,524 votes. Ten candidates contested this seat.
Punjab (Jalandhar): Sushil Kumar Rinku
Sushil Kumar Rinku, who joined the BJP on March 28, 2024, contested the Jalandhar seat in Punjab. He lost to Charanjit Singh Channi of the INC, receiving 214,060 votes. Channi secured 390,053 votes, while Pawan Kumar Tinu of the AAP stood third with 208,889 votes. Twenty candidates contested this seat.
As the dust settles on the electoral battlefield and the implications of these results are carefully weighed, it becomes evident that introspection and strategic recalibration may be imperative for the BJP to regain its electoral footing and address the concerns raised by both supporters and critics alike.
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