The Congress party revealed its second list of 43 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, featuring prominent names such as Nakul Nath from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara and Vaibhav Gehlot from Rajasthan's Jalore. Among the notable candidates, Gaurav Gogoi, the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, has been nominated to contest from Assam's Jorhat, while sitting MP Pradyut Bordoloi will represent Nagaon.
Rahul Kaswan, who recently switched from the BJP, will contest from Churu in Rajasthan. Harish Chandra Meena, a close confidant of senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot and former DGP, will contest from the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency, and Karan Singh Uchiyarda will contest from Jodhpur.
Lok Sabha Election 2024: Complete Second List Of Congress Candidates
In Assam, the party fielded candidates including Garjan Mashhary, Rakibul Hussain, and Mira Barthakur Goswami. In Uttarakhand, former state Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal and former MP Pradeep Tamta are among the candidates. The party also fielded Ketan Dahyabhai Patel from Daman and Diu. Rohan Gupta, the Congress' former social media chief, has been fielded from the Ahmedabad-East seat in Gujarat.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi expressed gratitude towards the party leadership saying, "I want to thank the central leadership of Congress party for giving me this responsibility. We will fight the elections with full strength and try to win it. Since the list is final now, we will strategise accordingly."
76.7% Of Candidates Below Age Of 60, SCs, STs, OBCs, And Minorities: Congress
The announcement of the second list followed a meeting of the Congress' central election committee, chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, held at the party headquarters to finalize the candidates. Discussions during the meeting encompassed over 60 seats in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, addressing a press conference, disclosed that the seats allocated in the second list include 13 from Assam, 10 from Madhya Pradesh, 10 from Rajasthan, seven from Gujarat, and three from Uttarakhand, in addition to one from Daman and Diu. Congress leaders Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera were also present at the briefing.
The list features several young faces who have replaced the old guard, with 76.7 per cent of the candidates below the age of 60. According to news agency PTI, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal highlighted the party's focus on social justice, stating, "Out of the 43 candidates, 33 are from SCs/STs/OBCs and minorities."
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal remarked, "This second list clearly reflects our idea as 76.7 per cent of the candidates are from SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities and also, 76.7 per cent (of the candidates) are those below 60 years", as quoted by PTI.
Congress treasurer Ajay Maken expressed hope for the success of the candidates, stating, "We hope the people will help these good candidates win the Lok Sabha election and help fulfill the Congress' guarantees and strengthen the Congress' ideology in the Lok Sabha."
Congress First List Featured Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, K C Venugopal
The release of the second list follows the unveiling of the initial list of candidates by the Congress party on March 8. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi being fielded from Kerala's Wayanad constituency again was a significant highlight. The first list, comprising 39 candidates, also featured Congress general secretary K C Venugopal and Shashi Tharoor, who are set to contest from Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram constituencies respectively.
In Karnataka, DK Suresh, the brother of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivkumar, has been fielded from Bangalore Rural constituency. Notably, he was the sole Congress candidate to secure victory in the state during the 2019 general elections. The list also includes candidates such as H R Algur (Bijapur), Anandswamy Gaddadevarmath (Haveri), S P Muddahanumegowda (Tumkur), Venkataramane Gowda (Mandya), and Shreyas M Patel (Hassan).
In Telangana, the Congress party's candidates include former Union Minister Balram Naik (Mahabubabad), Suresh Kumar Shetkar (Zaheerabad), C Vamshi Chand Reddy (Mahabubnagar), and Raghuveer Kunduru (Nalgonda). Balram Naik, previously a Union Minister of State, brings significant political experience to the electoral arena. Meanwhile, Suresh Kumar Shetkar and C Vamshi Chand Reddy have notable past records as Lok Sabha member and former MLA respectively. ALSO READ | Lok Sabha Election: Congress Repeats Rahul Gandhi, Tharoor From Kerala, DK Suresh From Karnataka
The second candidate list arrives as the schedule for Lok Sabha election 2024 is expected to release this month. However, the recent resignation of Arun Goel as Election Commissioner may delay the process as the vacancies for Election Commissioners will have to be filled before the mega General Election.