The Congress Party released its third list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Thursday, announcing 56 contenders across eight states and Union Territories. Key candidates include Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury from Berhampore, Radhakrishna (son-in-law of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge) from Gulbarga, and Praniti Shinde (daughter of former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde) from Solapur.
Notable names also include former Rajya Sabha member MV Rajeev Gowda from Bangalore North and Amit Chawda, the Congress Legislative Party leader in the Gujarat Assembly, from Gujarat’s Anand constituency. The Congress has notably left the Sikar Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan for the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
In Arunachal Pradesh, former chief minister Nabam Tuki will contest from Arunachal West. Gujarat sees Sonal Patel from Gandhinagar, Prabhaben Taviyad from Dahod (ST), and Nilesh Kumbani from Surat among the Congress's candidates.
Karnataka’s lineup features Priyanka Jarkiholi from Chikkodi, Radhakrishna from Gulbarga (SC), Vinod Asooti from Dharwad, M Rajeev Gowda from Bangalore North, Sowmya Reddy from Bangalore South, and Mansoor Ali Khan from Bangalore Central, among others.
The decision to field Chowdhury from Berhampore sets the stage for an anticipated contest against Yusuf Pathan, cricketer-turned-politician fielded by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal. Moreover, the Congress has nominated Isha Khan Choudhury, son of incumbent MP Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, from Maldaha Dakshin.
This announcement brings the Congress's total number of declared candidates to 138 for the upcoming polls. Previously, the party had unveiled its second list of 43 candidates across four states, featuring prominent names like Gaurav Gogoi from Jorhat (Assam), Nakul Nath from Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh), and Vaibhav Gehlot from Jalore (Rajasthan).
Earlier lists included candidates like Rahul Gandhi contesting from Kerala’s Wayanad, K C Venugopal from Alappuzha, and Shashi Tharoor defending his Thiruvananthapuram seat. The seven-phase Lok Sabha polls commence on April 19.