Denial of poll ticket to motormouth MPs in BJP's 1st list sends strong message, says psephologist Pradeep Gupta

The first list of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) featuring 195 candidates left out some prominent leaders like Pragya Thakur (Bhopal MP) and a couple of sitting MPs from Delhi including Parvesh Singh Verma (West Delhi) and Ramesh Bidhuri (South Delhi), leaving many surprised. Their omission from the list left many baffled.

However, Pradeep Gupta, the country's leading psephologist and the CMD of Axis My India, told IANS that the BJP has done the 'perfect' thing by dropping the motormouth MPs as this will send a strong message to people that the lawmakers with 'tainted' image do not enjoy place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's priorities.

He also opined that this shows BJP's clear and tactical strategy to distance itself from 'troublemaker MPs' especially at a time when the opposition parties have ganged up against the BJP with the intent of dislodging it from power.

Notably, all three Parliamentarians have been accused of making hate speeches and inciting hatred.

Pragya Thakur, the BJP MP from Bhopal, found herself in major controversy when she was named BJP nominee in 2019 polls. Though she got elected on a BJP ticket, her brush with controversies did not stop.

Her labeling of Nathuram Godse as 'patriot' left the BJP red-faced and drew stern reproval from Prime Minister himself.

"She has sought an apology, but I would never be able to forgive her fully," PM Modi had said.

BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri's series of jibes at fellow MP Danish Ali inside Parliament seems to have gone against him.

His abusive and hateful remarks created a huge row, and he also apologised later.

Axis My India CMD told IANS that the BJP, by omitting Bidhuri from the list, has taken high moral ground and this may cushion the adverse public backlash to a great extent.

"By not giving tickets to the likes of Pragya Thakur and Bidhuri, the BJP is hitting the right buttons and sending across a message that PM Modi's developmental agenda remains supreme for the party and the nation's growth remains its biggest poll plank," he further said.

The dropping of Parvesh Singh Verma, a two-time BJP MP, has been most surprising.

Pradeep Gupta, also a bit surprised, says that Verma too probably faced the price of hate speech but believes that he could find a place in the larger game plan of the party for building a groundswell of support in the run-up to the 2024 elections.

He also ruled out the growing threat of AAP-Congress combine as the reason behind the baffling BJP's Lok Sabha list for Delhi. However, in the case of New Delhi seat, represented by Meenakshi Lekhi, he did see the BJP's poor performance in MCD elections as a probable reason behind dropping her.

"Overall, the party is clear on focusing on candidates' winnability factor and also ensuring that motormouth MPs do not remain in the fray as this will give fodder to the INDIA bloc to embarrass the BJP," he said.