Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, alongside party leaders Ajay Maken, K C Venugopal, and other officials, convened a press briefing at his residence in New Delhi on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
On the same day, the Congress unveiled its second roster of candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Party General Secretary K C Venugopal, framing the electoral contest as a struggle between the marginalized and entrenched capitalist interests, announced 43 candidates spanning various states, including Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu. Notable candidates in this announcement include Gaurav Gogoi, who will vie for the Jorhat constituency in Assam, and Nakul Nath, son of Kamal Nath, contesting from Chhindwara. Of the 43 candidates revealed, 33 hail from OBC, SC, ST, or minority backgrounds.
The party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) had convened the day before to finalize these nominations, after the release of its initial candidate list. Among the notable figures previously disclosed are Rahul Gandhi, who is set to contest from Kerala’s Wayanad constituency once more. Additionally, Bhupesh Baghel, the former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, has been nominated to contest from Rajnandgaon. Moreover, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal will contest from Alappuzha in Kerala, while Shashi Tharoor has been re-nominated from Thiruvananthapuram.
Key members of the CEC overseeing this electoral process include party president Mallikarjun Kharge, former presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Ambika Soni, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, T S Singhdeo, and Mohammad Jawaid, among others.
