ACTION PUNJAB NEWS Desk: The Congress unveiled its second list of 43 candidates for five states – Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and the Daman and Diu Union Territory. Notable among the contenders are the emerging leaders of the next generation: Gaurav Gogoi, son of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi; Vaibhav Gehlot, son of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot; and Nakul Nath, son of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath.
In Assam, where the Congress ruled for three consecutive terms until its government led by Tarun Gogoi fell in 2016, the party presently holds three MPs.
Gaurav Gogoi, the Congress’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, will contest from Jorhat, transitioning from the Kaliabor constituency he has represented since 2019. Kaliabor was merged into Kaziranga during the state’s delimitation process. Mr. Gogoi opted to shift to Jorhat, his late father’s hometown.
Nakul Nath, once speculated to join the BJP after his father’s removal from the Madhya Pradesh Congress chief’s post, will run again from Chhindwara, his current constituency. Nath senior, aged 77, announced his retirement from electoral contests.
Following the Congress’s defeat in Madhya Pradesh’s state elections last year, the party has faced challenges in maintaining unity. Among the ten candidates announced, Kamleshwar Patel, standing from Sidhi, and Omkar Singh Markam, contesting from the ST seat of Mandla, were both cabinet ministers in Kamal Nath’s government.
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In Rajasthan, which the Congress lost to the BJP last year, the party has declared ten candidates. Vaibhav Gehlot, vying for Jalore, previously lost the Jodhpur election to Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in 2019. Additionally, Harish Meena, the state’s former police chief, will contest from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur. Rahul Kaswa, who defected from the BJP, will compete from Churu, and Brijendra Ola from Jhunjhunu.
This second list followed a meeting of the Congress’ central election committee, chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, to finalize candidates for over 60 seats in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu.
The announced seats comprise 13 from Assam, 10 from Madhya Pradesh, 10 from Rajasthan, seven from Gujarat, and three from Uttarakhand.
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(Inputs from agencies)
