The Congress party is set to unveil its initial roster of candidates from approximately ten states and union territories for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Expected to feature prominently in the list is Rahul Gandhi, whose candidacy from Wayanad in Kerala has been endorsed by the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) following its inaugural meeting in the national capital.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary in-charge of Communications, informed the press agency ANI, “I anticipate that the announcement of candidates from the states discussed during yesterday’s meeting will be made either today or tomorrow.”
Chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi, the CEC meeting saw Rahul Gandhi participating virtually from Gujarat. The CEC, reconvening on Monday, has already greenlit the names of 11 candidates from Karnataka.
Additionally, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has been cleared for the Rajnandgaon seat, with former minister Tamardwaj Sahu for Mahasamund and Jyotsna Mahant for Korba seat in Chhattisgarh. Rahul Gandhi’s candidacy for re-election in Wayanad has been recommended by the party’s screening committee in Kerala. However, his status for Amethi remains uncertain as Uttar Pradesh candidates were not discussed during the CEC’s Thursday meeting.
Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor’s re-election nomination has also been approved by the CEC. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar against him in Kerala.
Running as part of the INDIA bloc of Opposition parties, the Congress aims to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP has set a target of 370 seats for the party and 400 for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The BJP has already unveiled its initial candidate list, featuring 195 names, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19, the BJP, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, secured a landslide victory with 303 seats in the 543-member House, as declared on May 23.
