Mumbai: Congress seems to have zeroed in on candidates for seven Lok Sabha seats as the state-level parliamentary election committee will recommend a candidate for each of these seats, said a party source.
Ameeta Ashok Chavan, Charulata Tokas, Milind Deora, Manikrao Thakre, Rajeev Shankarrao Satav, Mukul Balkrishna Wasnik and Sushilkumar Shinde are likely to get tickets from Nanded, Wardha, South Mumbai, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Ramtek and Solapur respectively.
The committee will send all the aspirants’ names to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) next week.
The party’s state leaders held a meeting last week at a south Mumbai hotel over the preparations for the general election, and the work of the campaign committee and election committee was also reviewed.
The current political situation was also discussed along with alliance partners’ demands. State Congress president Ashok Chavan, Leader of Opposition Radha-krishna Vikhe Patil, senior party leader Balasaheb Thorat and five AICC general secretaries who have been holding charge for the election in the state attended the meeting.
A party source said that the state lead-ership also held a discussiom on candidates’ names for 26 of the 48 seats Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is contesting the election in alliance. “Before finalising the list, the AICC will call a meeting with Chavan and Mr Vikhe Patil next week, on February 22,” the source said. However, the AICC had asked for the candidates’ list before January 31. But as the NCP and Congress have had some issues over Ahmednagar and Aurangabad Lok Sabha seats, the process of finalisation of names has been delayed and the list has not been sent to the party high command.
The Congress wants Ahmednagar seat for Dr Sujay Patil, the son of Mr Vikhe-Patil. At present, the Ahmednagar seat is with the NCP, and the party wants Aurangabad constituency, which is with the Congress. Sources said that both parties could agree to swap these two seats.
