Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Jairam Gadkari will contest the Lok Sabha polls for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Maharashtra’s Nagpur, as announced in the party’s second list of candidates released on Wednesday.
Nitin Gadkari, the former BJP president, is one of the longest-serving ministers in the Narendra Modi government. He assumed the charge of Road Minister in 2014 and has held various other portfolios, including Minister of Shipping, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation. Gadkari is currently serving as a Member of Parliament from Nagpur.
In response to recent developments, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray reiterated his support for Gadkari and urged him to leave the BJP if he feels “insulted.” Thackeray assured that the Sena (UBT) would ensure Gadkari’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP’s second list of candidates includes 72 more names for the Lok Sabha elections, featuring Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi, and Anurag Singh Thakur. Notable additions also include former chief ministers Manohar Lal Khattar, Basavaraj Bommai, and Trivendra Singh Rawat, reflecting the party’s strategic choices as the elections draw closer.
