Jitin Prasada, Khurshid on Cong’s first list for LS polls

NEW DELHI: While announcing four names for Gujarat in its first list of 15 candidates for LS elections, Congress is trying to hold on to young Khastriya leader Alpesh Thakore, who has lately been feeling uncomfortable.
Rahul Gandhi’s constituency, another family redoubt, is no surprise though BJP seems determined to make a fight of it with a slew of projects in the area and the near certainty of a rematch with textile minister Smriti Irani.

In Congress’s list, four candidates are from Gujarat and 11 from UP. Since Priyanka’s political plunge, there had been talk that she may contest polls from Rae Bareli and Sonia Gandhimay withdraw from active politics. It seems clear that Sonia will remain in the political arena.

The Congress move to start the announcement of 2019 LS candidates with UP is politically significant as SP and BSP have left it out of their anti-BJP coalition in the state. Congress is still in talks with the two regional parties for a pact but no decision has emerged yet. SP leader Akhilesh Yadav has tended to sidestep the issue by claiming that Congress is part of the alliance with the SP-BSP alliance not contesting Rae Bareli and Amethi.

Former minister Jitin Prasada has been fielded from Dhaurhara where he lost in 2014. Imran Masood would contest from Saharanpur, Saleem Shervani from Badaun, Annu Tandon from Unnao, former minister Salman Khurshid from Farrukhabad, Rajaram Pal from Akbarpur, Brij Lal Khabri from Jalaun reserved seat, Nirmal Khatri from Faizabad and RPN Singh from Kushinagar. Barring Jalaun, Badaun and Saharanpur, Congress won all other seats in 2009 before losing in the Modi wave of 2014. Rahul and Sonia were the only Congress leaders who managed to win in 2014.

In Gujarat, former state unit chief Bharatsinh Solanki will contest from Anand. Raju Parmar will contest from Ahmedabad west, Prashant Patel from Vadodara and Ranjit Mohansinh Rathwa from Chhota Udaipur.