Political Fortunes of Turncoat Candidates in 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Several candidates who contested in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections decided to switch political affiliations in pursuit of better prospects, with mixed results.

One such candidate was Anil Antony, son of Congress leader A.K. Antony, who ran as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate in Kerala‘s Pathanamthitta constituency. Despite winning 2.34 lakh votes, he lost to Congress candidate Anto Antony by a significant margin.

Another notable figure, Hanuman Beniwal, a founder of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, had a successful run after switching sides and accusing senior BJP leaders of corruption. He won over 5.96 lakh votes in Rajasthan‘s Nagaur constituency, defeating the BJP‘s Jyoti Mirdha.

However, Ms. Mirdha’s shift from Congress to BJP did not pay off as she lost the election by a margin of 42,225 votes. Likewise, Arjun Singh‘s unsuccessful contest in West Bengal‘s Barrackpore as the BJP candidate ended with a loss by 64,000 votes to Trinamool‘s Partha Bhowmick.

The BJP’s attempts to court candidates in North East India also faced setbacks. Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, a former Congress member who switched to various parties, lost by a massive margin in the Lok Sabha Election despite aligning with the NPP.

In Nagaland, the BJP-supported candidate Dr. Chumben Murry lost to Congress candidate S. Supongmeren Jamir, showcasing a lack of success in their efforts to sway political parties.

Rahul Kaswan, a traditional candidate from the Kaswan family stronghold in Churu, retained his seat with over 7.28 lakh votes, defeating Devendra Jhajharia, the BJP’s surprise candidate.

Notable industrialist Naveen Jindal‘s successful contest in Haryana‘s Kurukshetra constituency as a BJP candidate resulted in a victory with 54,2175 votes, surpassing the Aam Aadmi Party‘s Suhil Gupta.

Overall, the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections showcased the unpredictable nature of political fortunes for turncoat candidates across India.