Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Congress party has finalised candidates for 14 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, eight in West Bengal, and seven in Telangana in its Chief Election Committee (CEC) meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday, sources said.
The party held discussions on 85 Lok Sabha seats spread over 11 states in the CEC meeting.
Speaking about the CEC meeting, Madhya Pradesh Congress leader and son of Digvijaya Singh, Jaivardhan Singh said, "... Discussions took place on the states of the screening committee, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and West Bengal..."
The party also held discussions on Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim Assembly elections, which will be held simultaneously with Lok Sabha polls.
Talks were also held on Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar, Puducherry, Karnataka, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan Lok Sabha seats.
"Tomorrow we will announce (our list of candidates)," said Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after the CEC meeting in Delhi.
On the declaration of party's candidates for Lok Sabha elections 2024, party MP Manickam Tagore says, "4 hours of meeting has just concluded. Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge sat together with all state leaders, Chief Ministers and others. Congress party is well prepared and we are strategically announcing the candidates. Congress party will fight the battle to win and I.N.D.I.A bloc is going to win 300 seats."
Speaking on the criteria for selecting candidates, party leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said, "It is the same as before. We will have a meeting tomorrow and settle it."
According to reports, candidates' selection for Chandigarh, Puducherry is yet to be decided. The party has given approval on candidates selection on 14 seats in Karnataka, seven in Telangana.
The party has also finalised candidates for 18 Assembly seats in Sikkim.
Reports further said that Congress President Malikarjun Kharge's son-in-law D Radhakrishna will contest from Golbarga in Karnataka.
Overall, the CEC discussed 85 seats but could not hold talks on 15 seats of Madhya Pradesh, 15 of Rajasthan and 15 of Gujarat. The CEC will sit again tomorrow.
The meeting of the Central Election Committee headed by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge was attended by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other members of the panel.
The Congress has so far announced 82 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls beginning April 19.
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