Cong CEC clears Rahul from Wayanad, Baghel Rajnandgaon

THE FIRST meeting of the Congress CEC Thursday cleared the name of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the Wayanad LS seat in Kerala but leaders said the panel has left it to him to take the final decision.

Sources said the CEC meeting, chairedbypartychiefmallikarjun Kharge,andattendedbycongress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi decided to field former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel from Rajnandgaon seat and former minister Tamardwaj Sahu from Mahasamund, while Jyotsna Mahant will contest from Korba, Chhattisgarh.

Sources said names would be officially announced in a day or two. It is learnt the CEC could not arrive at a decision on the party's candidates in Chandni Chowk, Northwest and Northeast seats of Delhi as there were multiple names. CEC met to clear names of 60 candidates from 10 states, including Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Delhi and Chhattisgarh.

Congress leaders from Kerala said the list of candidates for the state will have a few surprises. Most of the sitting MPS, including Shashi Tharoor, will be fielded again, they said. Sources said the panel cleared 10 names for Karnataka. The CEC did not discuss UP candidates and it is to be seen whether Rahul will once again try his luck from Amethi.

In Chandni Chowk, sources said names of J P Agarwal, ex-mp Sandeep Dikshit and Mahila Congress chief Alka Lamba were placed before the panel. In Northeast Delhi, names including that of DPCC president Arvinder Singh Lovely and his predecessor Anil Chaudhary. In Kerala, there is no clarity on Alappuzha candidate.

Anil Sharma Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders Sonia Gandhi, K C Venugopal and Ambika Soni at the CEC meeting in New Delhi, Thursday.