UP polls: Congress releases second list of 41 candidates, 16 of them are women

The women candidates include Poonam Pandit, a former national/international shooter, who was an active participant of farmers’ agitation and Sangeeta Tyagi, wife of late Rajiv Tyagi, former Congress spokesperson

LUCKNOW The Congress on Thursday released its second list of candidates on 41 assembly seats for the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. Of these, 16 were given to women candidates, which was 40% of the total seats in the second list.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had announced 40% reservation to women in 2022 UP Assembly elections. (File Photo)

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had announced 40% reservation to women in 2022 UP Assembly elections.

These 16 women candidates included Poonam Pandit, a former national/international shooter, who was an active participant of farmers’ agitation and Sangeeta Tyagi, wife of late Rajiv Tyagi, former Congress spokesperson.

Poonam Pandit, 25, was given a Congress ticket from Syana Assembly seat of Bulandshahr in western UP and Sangeeta Tyagi, 43, was fielded from the the Sahibabad Assembly constituency of Ghaziabad.

Known for her oratory skills in Hindi and Haryanvi, Poonam Pandit had joined the Congress at a special programme at UP Congress Committee headquarters here recently. Sangeeta Tyagi is wife of All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesman late Rajiv Tyagi, who died of heart attack soon after taking part in a debate on a news channel.

On the other hand, Sikandar Valmiki, 34, a former government employee, was fielded from Agra Cantt (SC) Assembly seat. He resigned from his job to dedicate himself to the cause of the Valmiki community. He took up the cause of Arun Valmiki, 31, who allegedly died in police custody in Agra.

With the second list, the Congress had so far declared 166 candidates out of 403 assembly seats going to polls in seven phases. As many as 94 seats will vote in the first phase of elections on February 10. “We have declared candidates for all the seats going for polls in the first phase,” said a party functionary.

The last date for filing of nomination papers is January 21, 2022 and political parties are giving final touches or amending names on the seats left out, if any or already declared.

A considerable number of defectors, including two sitting MLAs – Naresh Saini and Masood Akhtar from Saharanpur district of western UP – have left the Congress. So have senior leaders Imran Masood and Pankaj Malik. The Congress has been facing the challenge of finding suitable candidates for many such seats in western UP.