New Delhi: The Congress is expected to release its list of Lok Sabha candidates for the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Tamil Nadu on Friday. Reports suggest that Finance Minister P Chidambaram is not keen to contest in the Lok Sabha polls and is keen on taking the Rajya Sabha route.
On Thursday, the Congress had come out with its second list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Of the 71 candidates named in the new list, the Congress has given tickets to 'tainted' leaders like former Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Veerappa Moily and Subodh Kant Sahay.
While Bansal will contest from Chandigarh, the constituency which he currently represents in the Lok Sabha, Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily will be contesting from Chikkballapur in Karnataka. The list has cleared 15 of the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala. Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, whose wife committed suicide in January 2014, has been fielded from Thiruvananthapuram.
Toeing on party Vice President Rahul Gandhi's suggestions, Congress has almost 35 per cent youngsters in its new list. Youth Congress President Rajiv Satav will be contesting from Hingoli in Maharashtra. Eight other Youth Congress leaders have also been given tickets for Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress has 11 women candidates including senior party leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi and actress-turned-politician Naghma. While Joshi has been given Lucknow seat, the yesteryear actress will be contesting from Ghaziabad. Begum Noor Bano, a former MP, has been fielded in Moradabad constituency.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's wife Pratibha Singh who is an MP from Mandi will be fighting the Lok Sabha elections from her constituency.
MoS V Narayanswamy too will retain the Puducherry seat and will once again contest from the same constituency.
In Karnataka, the party high command has fielded Rizwan Arshad, one of the biggest Muslim faces in Karnataka Congress. He will contest from Bangalore Central. He ends eight-time-MP and former Railway Minister C K Jaffer Sharief era in Karnataka politics.
PC Chacko, MP from Thrissur in Kerala has to give away the seat to KP Dhanapalan as he would now be contesting from Chalakudy.
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