Congress to release 1st list of candidates for MP, Chhattisgarh today

Bhopal: Congress is going to declare its first list of candidates for poll-bound states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Sunday.

The party’s first list of candidates for Madhya Pradesh has been cleared by the Central Election Committee (CEC) of Congress, which met in Delhi on Saturday, sources said.

“The first list of candidates for Madhya Pradesh will be declared on Sunday”, state Congress media wing chairman K K Mishra told this newspaper.

Sources disclosed to this newspaper that the party is most likely to announce candidates for around 125 out of a total of 230 assembly seats in the state, in the first list.

“All these 125 prospective candidates have earlier been tipped off on their candidature by the state Congress leadership and asked to start campaigns in the respective assembly constituencies”, a senior Congress functionary said.

Sources said that the feud among the factional leaders of the party in Madhya Pradesh has caused a delay in the declaration of candidates by Congress.

State Congress president Kamal Nath had prepared a prospective candidates’ list based on an internal survey conducted by him for submission before the CEC, sources said.

But, AICC general secretary in charge of MP affairs Randeep Surjewala had sought a re-survey, sources said.

However, the factional leaders of the party in the state had contested the ‘revised’ list of candidates submitted before the CEC seeking accommodation of their followers in the list, sources said adding that this has caused a delay in the finalisation of the list.

Madhya Pradesh is going to assembly polls on November 17 this year.

The ruling BJP in the state has already announced candidates in 136 seats in four phases.

The party is also set to release its first list of candidates for Chhattisgarh on Sunday.

A senior Congress leader in the state disclosed to this newspaper that an internal survey conducted by the party in Chhattisgarh has indicated that at least two dozen party MLAs are facing individual anti-incumbency in their respective constituencies, putting the party in a dilemma whether to drop them in the list.

Sources said that the party may retain the majority of these MLAs on the list.

Chhattisgarh is going to assembly polls in two phases on November seven and November 17.

BJP has already declared candidates in 85 out of a total of 90 assembly seats in the state.