For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress has unveiled its first list of 39 candidates, which notably includes the name of former party president Rahul Gandhi. Ex-Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, has been fielded from the Rajnandgaon seat. Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal will contest from Alappuzha (Kerala) and Shashi Tharoor is set to run from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Incumbent MP from Thrissur, T N Prathapan was not given a ticket this time, while K C Venugopal will contest from the Alappuzha seat, previously lost by Congress. Shashi Tharoor will be vying for the Thiruvananthapuram seat for the fourth consecutive time. While releasing the names of the candidates, K C Venugopal mentioned that the initial list includes 15 general category candidates and 24 from SC, ST, OBC, and minority communities.
The list includes 12 candidates under 50 years of age, eight between 50-60, 12 between 61-70, and seven candidates in the 71-76 age group. From the list of 39 candidates, only three are women. Congress Treasurer Ajay Makan commented on the list's good mix of young and seasoned leaders, plus those who have been associated with Congress since their student days.
On querying if senior leaders were advised to contest in the Lok Sabha elections, Venugopal highlighted the significance of this electoral battle in shaping the nation's future, stating, 'Our aim in this Lok Sabha election is to win the maximum number of seats in order to terminate this fascist government. We are scouting for candidates capable of winning wherever possible.'
He signified that senior leaders are part of this list and will be included in subsequent lists as well. The Friday announcement covers 6 candidates from Chhattisgarh, 7 from Karnataka, 16 from Kerala, 4 from Telangana, 2 from Meghalaya, and one each from Sikkim, Nagaland, Tripura, and Lakshadweep.
Venugopal affirmed, 'We are in election mode and aggressively campaigning with Rahul Gandhi embarking on the Bharat Jodo Justice March, currently taking place in Gujarat. He stated that the Justice March will conclude with a massive rally in Mumbai on the 17th of March and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has invited all the partners of the INDIA bloc to participate in this joint public gathering.'
Speculations surrounding Rahul and Priyanka contesting elections continue, with Rahul possibly running from the erstwhile Sonia Gandhi's stronghold Amethi and Priyanka from Raebareli. Both constituencies are considered bastions of the Gandhi family, and local Congress units have requested that members of the Gandhi family be the candidates there.
