On Friday, the Congress unveiled its inaugural roster of 39 candidates spanning eight states and one union territory for the imminent Lok Sabha elections. The candidates have been designated for Lok Sabha constituencies in Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Telangana, and Tripura.
Highlighted points from the Congress’ maiden Lok Sabha elections list:
The initial list from the Congress comprises a substantial number of leaders representing Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, other backward classes, and minorities. This resonates with the ongoing campaign of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s consistent advocacy for increased participation of these communities in the decision-making process.
As per the roster, notable party figures like Rahul Gandhi have been nominated from Wayanad in Kerala, former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, incumbent MP Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram, and party general secretary KC Venugopal from Alappuzha in Kerala.
Among the 39 candidates, 12 leaders are below the age of 50, indicating a drive to provide more opportunities to younger leaders within the party. According to KC Venugopal, eight contestants fall between 50 and 60 years old, 12 between 61 and 70, and seven between 71 and 76 years old.
Several state unit chiefs have been named in the first list, including K Sudhkaran from Kerala unit chief in Kannur, Vincent Pala from Shillong, Gopal Chettri from Sikkim’s lone seat, Asim Kumar Saha from Tripura West, Md Hamdullaha Sayeed from Lakshadweep, and S Supongmeren Jamir from Nagaland.
The party has reaffirmed candidacy for 18 sitting MPs, including Rahul Gandhi.
Former Chhattisgarh CM Baghel and former state home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu have secured nominations in the first list, purportedly with the intent to field senior leaders in the Hindi heartland states.
In Karnataka, the party has nominated DK Suresh, brother of CM DK Shivakumar, for the third time from Bengaluru Rural. DK Suresh was the sole Congress victor in the 2019 Parliamentary elections.
The Congress has primarily concentrated on states where it will contest independently in its initial list.
Of the 39 seats, Congress has nominated 28 candidates from South Indian states, including 16 from Kerala, seven from Karnataka, four from Telangana, and one from Lakshadweep. It’s noteworthy that the Congress is presently in power in two South Indian states, Karnataka and Telangana.
However, the Congress’ list comprises only three women candidates – Jyotsana Mahant from Chhattisgarh, Geetha Shivarajkumar from Karnataka, and Ramya Haridas from Kerala.
