Cong may finalise first list tomorrow
PARTY’S CENTRAL ELECTION COMMITTEE SET TO DISCUSS PROBABLE CANDIDATES IN THREE STATES OF UTTAR PRADESH, MAHARASHTRA AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH
NEWDELHI: The Congress is likely to finalise on Wednesday its first list of candidates for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, with the party’s central election committee set to discuss probable candidates in three states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh, a party functionary familiar with the development said
The three states account for 130 of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha - Uttar Pradesh 80 (highest), Maharashtra 48 (second-highest) and Arunachal Pradesh two.
The Congress has decided to contest the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Maharashtra in an alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar.
As a result, CEC will only disthis cuss the names for seats to be contested by candidates from the Congress.
In Uttar Pradesh, CEC will primarily focus on the seats in the eastern part of the state, the charge of which is held by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The 13-member CEC, headed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, is a key party panel that clears names of contestants. It is likely to be reconstituted in the run up to the elections.
The other members of the panel are United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, ex-defence minister AK Antony, party treasurer Ahmed Patel, senior leader Janardan Dwivedi, general secretary incharge of Jammu and Kashmir Ambika Soni, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, former Union ministers Girija Vyas, Mukul Wasnik, M Veerappa Moily, Oscar Fernandes and Mohsina Kidwai.
One name that may included in the panel is that of KC Venugopal, said the functionary cited in the first instance.
The CEC meeting is being held a day ahead of a crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in Ahmedabad, which will be followed by a public rally at Trimandir Ground, Adalaj.
the first time the Congress Working Committee (CWC) is being held in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will lay out a road map for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, endorse Rahul Gandhi’s minimum guarantee income proposal for the poor, and welcome the induction of Priyanka Gandhi and party general secretary incharge of west UP Jyotiraditya Scindia in the highest decision-making body.
The last Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting was held at the Sevagram Ashram at Wardha, Maharashtra, on October 2, 2018 to commemorate the start of the 150th birth a nniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi.