Lok Sabha Battle: BJP Fields Bishnu Pada Ray From Andaman And Nicobar Islands (Image: Facebook/Bishnu Pada Ray )The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to face the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. On March 2, the party also released the first list of candidates. Of the 195 candidates on the first list, 34 are ministers from the Centre and States. Bishnu Pada Ray is the BJP candidate from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands constituency.
Bishnu Pada Roy had represented the Andaman Lok Sabha constituency three times. It is worth mentioning that the MP for the Andaman and Nicobar seat used to be nominated by the President directly until 1967. In 1999, the BJP leader won the Andaman constituency and became MP for the first time. While Bishnu Pada Roy secured a total of 76,891 votes, Congress candidate Manoranjan Bhakta stood second with 62,944 votes.
In the 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections too, Bishnu Pada Roy was elected to represent the BJP in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. During the 2009 polls, Bishnu Pada Roy got 75,211 votes. It was a close battle as Congress candidate Kuldeep Rai Sharma secured 72,221 votes. The BJP’s winning margin was 2990 votes. During the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP leader again defeated INC candidate Kuldeep Rai Sharma. Bishnu Pada Roy managed to get 90,969 votes, and the winning margin was 7812 votes.
However, Congress captured the Andaman and Nicobar seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls after losing to the BJP for two consecutive years. The BJP had fielded Vishal Jolly from the Andaman seat in 2019. Congress candidate Kuldeep Rai Sharma won the seat with a margin of 1,407 votes.
The BJP’s decision to field Bishnu Pada Roy this time indicates a shift in strategy. The party is likely considering the candidate’s previous experience as a vital factor in reclaiming the constituency.