New Delhi:

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases, with the first phase starting today. Voting will be held in 21 states and union territories and 102 constituencies in this phase, and the results will be announced on June 4.

Political ambitions, intra-party factionalism or simply lack of support lead many candidates to switch parties before elections. Here are some of the big names who will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections under the new banner.

Jitin Prasada

Jitin Prasada is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Philibit in Uttar Pradesh, which will go to polls tomorrow. Until 2021, Mr. Prasada was serving as a Member of Parliament.

Pilibhit has long been synonymous with the Gandhi family, especially Indira Gandhi’s younger daughter-in-law Maneka Gandhi and her son Varun Gandhi. Over the past 28 years, the Gandhi family has consolidated control of the seat, with Varun Gandhi becoming a BJP MP.

Mr Prasada replaced Varun Gandhi as the BJP candidate in this year’s polls.

Jyoti Mirda

Jyoti Mirdha, 51, is the BJP nominee from Nagaur constituency in Rajasthan. Ms. Mirda is a doctor who entered politics through Congress. She won the Lok Sabha polls in both the 2009 and 2014 elections, securing a seat in Parliament.

In 2019, she lost to Hanuman Beniwal of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. In 2023, Ms. Mirda joined the BJP.

Rahul Kaswan

Churu MP Rahul Kaswan resigned from the BJP this year and joined the Congress. Mr. Kaswan has been rejected by the BJP from contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Churu in Rajasthan is a stronghold of the BJP, which has not lost in the region since 1999. Mr. Kaswan, who successfully contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019, will contest from the Congress this time.

Uday Shankar Hazarika

Uday Shankar Hazarika is the Congress candidate from Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency in Assam. A veteran of the BJP, he has contested from the Lakhimpur Lok Sabha seat several times.

In 2023, he quit the BJP and joined the Congress party.