Who are the 7 independent candidates who won in 2024 Lok Sabha elections?

With the NDA government formation underway, attention turns to the seven Independent MPs elected to the Lok Sabha. Who are these Independents, and whom do they support?

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government formation is in full swing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be sworn in on June 9 at 6 pm, following the reaffirmed support from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) allies in the NDA.

Reports suggest that the seven Independent Members of Parliament (MPs) elected to the Lok Sabha have extended their support to the NDA. However, questions arise regarding the authenticity of this claim. 

Let’s take a look at who these independents are and who they support.

Vishal Patil

A former Congress leader, Vishal Patil is the son of Prakashbapu Patil, a five-term Congress Lok Sabha MP from Sangli, and the grandson of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil. He won the Lok Sabha election from the Sangli seat, contesting as an Independent after the constituency was allotted to the Shiv Sena-UBT in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition’s seat-sharing arrangement. Despite running as an Independent, Patil has pledged his support to the Congress.

“It did not become possible to contest on a Congress ticket, but people have voted for me taking into consideration the ideology of Congress. I can’t forget this. Hence after getting elected, I extended my support to Congress. Today, I have sent a letter of support to Mallikarjun Kharge. I met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi to take their blessings. We will work together,” Patil told reporters.

Welcoming Patil’s support, Congress party chief Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “People of Maharashtra defeated the politics of treachery, arrogance and division. It is a fitting tribute to our inspiring stalwarts like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Babasaheb Dr Ambedkar who fought for social justice, equality and freedom. Welcoming the support of the elected MP from Sangli, Shri Vishal Patil (@patilvishalvp) to the Congress party. Long live the Constitution!”

 

AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal said the Congress always had deep roots in Sangli and with this sentiment, Patil has extended unconditional support to the party. “This is a truly fitting move which takes the legacy of Congress stalwart Vasantdada Patil ji forward,” Venugopal said.

With Vishal Patil’s support, the Congress’s strength will increase to 100 in the Lok Sabha, Congress MLA Vishwajit Kadam was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Amritpal Singh

Amritpal Singh, a radical preacher and chief of ‘Waris Punjab De,’ is currently in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA). He won from the Khadoor Sahib seat in Punjab, defeating Congress’s Kulbir Singh Zira by a margin of 197,120 votes.

Singh, who models himself after the slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was arrested in Moga’s Rode village on April 23 last year following an over a month-long manhunt.  He and his associates were booked under several criminal cases related to spreading disharmony among classes, attempt to murder, attack on police personnel and creating obstructions in the lawful discharge of duty by public servants.

His father, Tarsem Singh, expressed gratitude to the ‘sangat’ (community) for their overwhelming support. “It was the ‘sangat’ which fought this battle,” he told news agency PTI. 

Singh’s father had earlier said his son was initially reluctant to contest elections but was persuaded by the ‘sangat’.

Singh is unlikely to join the NDA. However, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (Amritsar) head and Khalistan sympathiser Simranjit Singh Mann extended his party’s support to Singh and did not field any candidate from the Khadoor Sahib seat, despite SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal questioning whether Singh had been “propped up by the central agencies”.

Sheikh Abdul Rashid

Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, is currently in Tihar jail under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act charges, reported The Economic Times. 

The 56-year-old won the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, defeating former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Rashid secured 470,000 votes, while Abdullah received 268,000 votes.

Rashid, the former MLA, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019 and was the first mainstream politician to be booked under the stringent anti-terror law. 

He was first elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from Langate in 2008 and re-elected in 2014. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Baramulla, finishing in third place. Rashid is unlikely to join the NDA.

Pappu Yadav

Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, won from Bihar’s Purnia seat by a margin of over 23,000 votes. Yadav merged his Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) with Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. However, he decided to contest the seat as an Independent after the Purnia seat was given to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) for Janata Dal (United) (JD[U]) turncoat MLA Bima Bharti. 

Yadav is expected to support the Congress, according to NDTV.

Mohmad Haneefa

Mohmad Haneefa is the MP from the Ladakh constituency and a former district chief of the National Conference. 

According to Hindustan Times, he is the fourth Independent to win from Ladakh. Haneefa defeated Congress’s Tsering Namgyal, securing 65,303 votes against Namgyal’s 37,397 votes, with a margin of 27,906 votes. The BJP’s Tashi Gyalson, who came third, received 31,956 votes. 

Firstpost reported that Haneefa will not join the NDA. It is not yet confirmed whether Haneefa will join the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa

Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, the son of Beant Singh, one of the assassins of Indira Gandhi, won the Faridkot Lok Sabha seat by defeating the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Karamjit Singh Anmol by 70,053 votes. 

Khalsa was also approached by the ‘sangat’ of Faridkot to contest the elections. During his campaign, he raised issues such as the 2015 sacrilege incidents, drug menace, river water disputes, and farmers’ demand for legal guarantee to minimum support price.

Khalsa has a history of contesting elections, having previously run unsuccessfully for the Bathinda seat in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls and the Bhadaur seat in the 2007 Punjab Assembly polls. He also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from the Fatehgarh Sahib seat on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket but lost. His mother, Bimal Kaur, was an MP from the Ropar seat in 1989. 

It is not known who Khalsa will support.

Patel Umeshbhai Babubhai

Patel Umeshbhai Babubhai, a social worker, won the Lok Sabha seat from Daman and Diu. Babubhai defeated BJP heavyweight Lalu Patel, a three-time MP from the Union Territory, by a margin of 6,225 votes, securing 42,523 votes against Patel’s 36,298 votes. 

According to a report by The New Indian Express, Babubhai heavily criticised Praful Patel, the administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, during his campaign.

It remains unclear whom Babubhai will support.