Rahul Gandhi wants list of LS probables by Feb 25

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday drove home the importance of early finalisation of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls to his state units and asked them to send the list of probable candidates from each state by February 25. The Party was likely to announce the list of LS candidates on or before March one.

Mr Gandhi, who chaired a meeting of state PCC Presidents and CLP leaders, asked them to make the process of candidate selection broader in nature so that maximum party stakeholders and workers get tickets.

Top sources told this newspaper that Mr Gandhi asked the state unit chiefs and legislature party leaders to ensure that no two people from the same family are given tickets.

A decision was also taken in the meeting to make Rafale the chief campaign issue.

Right after the meeting, Mr Gandhi tweeted: "Today I met with our CLP Leaders and PCC Chiefs from all over India to review our election preparedness and strategy in each state. We discussed a wide range of issues related to the upcoming elections. I thank all those who came to Delhi to attend this meeting".

The Congress Party in a statement later said that the Congress President asked the CLP leaders and the PCC Chiefs to expose the anti-farmer, anti-youth and anti-women policies of the Modi government.

The leaders were also asked to make people aware of the welfare promises made by the Congress Party, specially the Minimum Guarantee Programme, as well as give suggestions on state issues which should be a part of the manifesto to the relevant committee.

Sources said that when the issue of alliances was brought up, the Congress President maintained that alliances would be finalised at the state-level only.

Saturday's meeting of CLPs and PCCs was in continuation of a similar meeting Mr Gandhi held with party General Secretaries on February 7. Newly-inducted Congress General Secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia had been part of that meeting.

The Congress party has at that meeting already taken a decision of not giving LS tickets to sitting MLAs and Rajya Sabha members.