Gwalior, March 3: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh used the 'washing machine' metaphor on Sunday to criticise the former members of his party who have now joined the BJP, adding that whoever has left Congress is a "beneficiary of the washing machine".

"The people who need a washing machine are leaving and going there (joining the BJP). You count the Congress leaders who have left the party, be it the chief minister of Assam (Himanta Biswa Sarma)...all are the beneficiaries of this washing machine," he said. Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh Says Doors Still Open for Alliance With Mamata Banerjee-Led TMC in West Bengal.

"All need a washing machine; some need small, some need medium, and some need grand-size washing machines," he added. On Saturday, the Bharatiya Janata Party released its first list of 195 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The list includes 47 youth candidates, 28 women candidates, 27 Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, 18 Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates and 57 OBC/Backward Class candidates.

As per the list, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi again. Jyotiraditya Scindia, who joined the BJP from the Congress in 2020, will contest from Guna in Madhya Pradesh. Nitin Gadkari Sends Legal Notice to Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh for Sharing ‘Misleading’ News Contents on X.

Of the 195 candidates, 34 are ministers from the Center and States, while two are former chief ministers who are on the list. Home Minister Amit Shah will contest from Gandhinagar, while Mansukh Mandaviya will contest from Porbandar.

BJP leader Manoj Tiwari will contest from North-East Delhi. Late leader Sushma Swaraj's daughter, Bansuri Swara, will contest from New Delhi. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh contested from Lucknow, and Smriti Irani will again contest from Amethi.

Earlier in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi secured a victory in Varanasi with 6,74,664 against Congress's Ajay Rai. The BJP-led National Democratic Party (NDA) won a total of 303 seats, leaving the grand-old party behind at 52 seats. The Lok Sabha polls are slated to be held in April-May this year.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)