BJP fields Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan from Gorakhpur, Praveen Nishad from Sant Kabir Nagar

The BJP on Monday released a new list of candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. The list comprises seven candidates from Uttar Pradesh.

The party has fielded Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan from chief minister Yogi Adityanath's home turf Gorakhpur while Praveen Nishad, the chief of Nishad Party which has joined hands with the BJP, will contest from Sant Kabir Nagar. 

Senior party leader and former chief of Uttar Pradesh unit Ramapati Ram Tripathi will contest the polls from Deoria constituency. 

Uttar Pradesh is going to polls in all seven phases from April 11 to May 19. The counting of votes will be done on May 23. 

In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the politically crucial state. The SP had won five seats, while the BSP failed to win any seat.

This time, BJP-Apna Dal-Nishad Party alliance faces stiff challenge from the SP-BSP alliance.