Bhopal: Congress may release its first list of candidates for the poll-bound states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh on September eight and September 17 respectively, party functionaries said on Tuesday.
The State Election Committee (SEC) of Chhattisgarh unit of Congress has sent its recommendations on prospective candidates of the party to the Central Election Committee (CEC), sources said.
“The SEC has sent its recommendations to the CEC of the party after deliberating the issue in a two-day marathon meeting in Raipur in Chhattisgarh that concluded on Monday evening”, a senior Congress leader said, unwilling to be quoted.
AICC general secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh affairs Kumari Selja had chaired the meeting which was attended among others by chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, deputy chief minister T S Singh Deo, and assembly speaker Charan Das Mahant.
Later, speaking to the media, Ms Selja said that all the leaders had given their suggestions in the meeting.
The SEC recommendations are scheduled to be discussed in the CEC meeting on September eight, she said.
The screening committee of the party is likely to meet the same day to finalise the first list of candidates.
The first list of candidates by the party may be released on September eight, she indicated.
In Madhya Pradesh, the process of scrutinising the applicants for the party tickets for the year-end assembly elections in the state by the State Election Committee of Congress was still on, sources said.
“The process of scrutiny of the applications of ticket aspirants by the party is still on. The SEC is going to submit its recommendations to the CEC shortly. The first list of candidates for MP may be declared on September 17 after clearance by CEC as well as the screening committee of the party”, Congress spokesman K K Mishra said.
BJP, the principal rival of Congress in Congress and Madhya Pradesh, has released its first lists of candidates for the two states a couple of weeks ago.
