Law minister Salman Khurshid's wife Louis Khurshid, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi and legislature party leader Pramod Tiwari are among the 73 candidates named by the Congress for the next year's assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The list was finalised last week at a central election committee meeting attended among others by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress general secretaries Rahul Gandhi and Digvijaya Singh.
Louis has been fielded from Farrukhabad, which is a segment of the Lok Sabha constituency represented by her husband.
Joshi, who had lost the Lok Sabha election from Lucknow to BJP's Kalraj Mishra, has been fielded from Lucknow Cantonment while Tiwari will contest again from Rampur Khas.
This is for the first time that the Congress has come out with its first list if candidates for any state election so early. The list includes the names of leaders who had proved their strength by winning the last election in 2007 and those who had put up a good fight.
Elections to the 403-member assembly are due in May 2012 but the Election Commission had indicated in February as the probable schedule for the poll.
{{/usCountry}}Elections to the 403-member assembly are due in May 2012 but the Election Commission had indicated in February as the probable schedule for the poll.
{{/usCountry}}Congress MP Sanjay Singh's wife Amita and another party MP Praveen Singh Aron's wife Supriya, journalist-turned politician, will contest from Amethi and Bareilly Cantonment seats respectively.