Adhir Ranjan Choudhary among 56 named in Congress’s 3rd Lok Sabha poll list

The party had earlier declared the names of 82 candidates as it released its two lists on March 8 and 12, respectively.

The Congress on Thursday named its Lok Sabha floor leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, former lawmaker MV Rajeev Gowda and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Jayaprakash Hegde, who jumped ship earlier this month, in its third list of 56 candidates for the much-anticipated Lok Sabha elections this summer.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (PTI)

The party had earlier declared the names of 82 candidates as it released its two lists on March 8 and 12, respectively. With the latest announcement, the party has announced 138 candidates so far.

The third list was released on a day the Congress’s Central Election Committee (CEC) held its fifth round of meeting on the remaining poll candidates, details of which are yet to be formally announced.

According to people aware of the matter, the CEC cleared the candidature of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh from Rajgarh. While former MP Kantilal Bhuria will be fielded from the state’s Ratlam city, Arun Yadav, another former lawmaker, will be fielded from Guna, to take on Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

The party, the people cited above, also cleared Danish Ali’s candidature from Amroha and Tanuj Punia, son of CEC member PL Punia, from Barabanki, in Uttar Pradesh.

The party’s third list named two candidates from Arunachal Pradesh, 11 from Gujarat, 17 from Karnataka, three from Maharashtra, six from Rajasthan, five from Telangana, eight from West Bengal and for the lone seat in Puducherry. The seats included 12 reserved ones. The Congress left the Sikar seat in Rajasthan for the CPI(M), its ally in Bengal.

According to the list, Chowdhury will contest the elections from Baharampur in Bengal and Gowda from Bangalore North in Karnataka. Hegde, who switched over from the BJP to the Congress earlier this month, will contest from Udupi Chikmagalur in the southern state.

Besides them, former Union minister K Rehman Khan’s son Mansoor Ali Khan has been fielded from Bangalore Central. Similarly, BN Chandrappa, working president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and a former MP has been named from Chitradurga.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s son-in-law and children of five Karnataka ministers figured in the party’s third list of candidates.

Public works minister Satish Jarkiholi’s daughter Priyanka Jarkiholi has been named from Chikkodi; transport minister Ramalinga Reddy’s daughter Sowmya Reddy from Bangalore South, co-operative minister Shivanand Patil’s daughter Samyukta S Patil from Bagalkot, women and child development minister Laxmi Hebbalkar’s son Mrinal Ravindra Hebbalkar from Belgaum and minister for forest, ecology and environment Eshwar Khandre’s son Sagar Khandre from Bidar.

Former Union minister Tushar Chaudhary has been repeated from Sabarkantha while Sonal Patel has been fielded against Union home minister Amit Shah in Gandhinagar, in Gujarat.

In Bengal, Congress MP Pradip Bhattacharya will fight from Kolkata Uttar.

In Arunachal, former chief minister Nabam Tuki will fight from Arunachal West and Bosiram Siram from Arunachal East.

The Congress, in Maharashtra, gave a ticket to sitting MLA Vasantrao Balwantrao Chavan from Nanded and fielded Praniti Shinde, daughter of former Union minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, from Solapur (reserved for Scheduled Caste).

Kasbapeth legislator Ravindra Dhangekar will fight the polls from Pune while Balwant Wankhede, the Daryapur MLA, is the candidate from Amravati, a reserved seat.

Kasba Peth legislator Ravindra Dhangekar will fight the polls from Pune while Balwant Wankhede, Daryapur MLA, is the candidate from Amravati (reserved for Scheduled Caste).

Shahu Chatrapati, scion of Kolhapur royal family, is the party’s candidate from Kolhapur, while Shivajirao Kalge will contest from Latur (Scheduled Caste) seat.

As per the party’s announcement, former MLA Vasantrao Chavan has been fielded from Nanded and Gowaal K Padavi, who is son of Congress leader KC Padavi, will contest from Nandurbar (Scheduled Tribe) seat.

In Rajasthan, the Congress announced the names of five candidates – all fresh faces – while reserving the Sikar seat for the CPI(M).

According to the list, AICC secretary Kuldeep Indora will fight from Ganganagar and former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya’s wife Urmila Jain Bhaya from Jhalawar-Baran seat.

Sangeeta Beniwal, chairperson of Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, has been fielded from Pali.

Mallu Ravi, a vice-president of Telangana Congress, was fielded from Nagarkurnool (Scheduled Caste) seat.

In Puducherry, the party fielded former chief minister and sitting MP V Vaithilingam.