The Congress in Madhya Pradesh is poised to unveil its inaugural list of approximately 130 candidates, including State Chief Kamal Nath, for the upcoming November 17 assembly elections, as disclosed by a party official on Friday.
The announcement is scheduled for Sunday, coinciding with the commencement of the auspicious Navratri festival. The Congress has devised plans to disclose candidates for all 230 seats in two lists, derived from insights garnered through five surveys. Among these, poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu, representing Rahul Gandhi, conducted one survey, while another was overseen by Kamal Nath himself, according to a source close to Nath, PTI reported.
The first list reportedly includes 15 former legislators and almost 90 current MLAs, with Nath expected to contest from his stronghold, Chhindwara.
Previously, Nath had articulated that the Congress would reveal its candidates post the 'Pitru Paksha' period, dedicated to paying homage to ancestors, which began on September 29 and concludes on October 14 this year. A close aide of Nath revealed that although the names of 103 candidates were finalized and endorsed two days ago, the announcement was deferred due to the ongoing 'Shraadh' period.
Meanwhile, the Congress central election committee, chaired by President Mallikarjun Kharge and his predecessor Rahul Gandhi, is deliberating on candidate selection for the second list in New Delhi.
Simultaneously, the screening committee for MP polls is set to convene shortly to discuss the second list. In contrast, the Congress's primary rival, the BJP, has already disclosed candidates for 136 assembly seats across four lists, with the first list unveiled on August 17, more than a month and a half before the election date was officially announced.
