Panna Lal Shakya, a 57-year-old candidate from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contested from the Guna constituency in Madhya Pradesh in 2013. He holds an MA and BA from Jivaji University, Gwalior, and has no criminal cases against him. His declared assets total approximately ₹10.16 lakhs, with liabilities of ₹5,000. Shakya's primary profession is a pensioner, and his spouse is a housewife.
Guna: On Sunday, the BJP announced its final list of candidates, finalizing the ticket for the Guna seat, which had been on hold. Panna Lal Shakya was chosen as the candidate, ending the long wait. This will be Shakya's second time contesting from this seat; he previously won in 2013, defeating Congress candidate Neeraj Nigam by around 45,000 votes.
The BJP's delay in announcing a candidate for Guna led to much speculation. However, on Sunday, the party named Shakya, putting an end to all rumors. The delay was attributed to a lack of consensus between two senior leaders. Shakya, a former teacher and RSS volunteer, had missed the 1977 election due to not resigning from his government job in time. He won the 2013 election but did not receive a ticket in 2018.
According to BJP sources, the delay in announcing the candidate for the Guna seat was due to a lack of agreement between two senior leaders, both Union Ministers. The main contenders were Gopilal Jatav, Neeraj Nigam, and Panna Lal Shakya. Ultimately, the party chose Shakya, a former MLA, as the compromise candidate.
In 1977, Shakya missed running for election due to not resigning from his government job in time. He won the 2013 election, defeating Congress candidate Neeraj Nigam by around 45,000 votes but did not receive a ticket in 2018.
