New Delhi: Congress released its second list of candidates on Wednesday for the upcoming elections in Madhya Pradesh. The list included the names of 88 candidates. The names of candidates were announced after a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting held earlier in the day.
Earlier on Sunday, the grand old party released its first list for the state polls. The list had the names of 144 party candidates.
The Congress fielded former chief minister and PCC chief Kamal Nath from his Chhindwara assembly seat. Senior leader Digvijaya Singh's son Jaivardhan Singh has been fielded from the Raghigath constituency.
It is to be noted that after three consecutive poll victories in 2003, 2008, and 2013, the BJP lost to the grand old party in 2018. However, in a turn of fate for the Kamal Nath government, then Congress old-timer and former central minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with his band of loyalists raised the flag of rebellion, leading to the eventual collapse of the Congress dispensation.
This time, the Congress is Bidding to wrest power from the BJP. Party leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister and the Congress national general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have been holding a clutch of rallies in the poll-bound state.
The Congress on Tuesday released the party manifesto for the November 17 elections. It promised to conduct a caste-based survey and the poll sops included 27 per cent reservation to the OBCs, farm loan waiver, and medical insurance of Rs 25 lakh for all the people if voted to power.
"We will provide health insurance cover of Rs 25 lakh, which also has an accidental cover of Rs 10 lakh, for all the people," PCC chief Kamal Nath said while releasing the party manifesto. He also said the party would make school education free in the state if the Congress formed a government in Madhya Pradesh.