Congress Nominees for LS Polls: Ajay Rai Challenges PM Modi in Varanasi, Digvijaya Singh in Rajgarh

On Saturday evening, the Congress party unveiled its latest roster of candidates for the imminent Lok Sabha elections, comprising 45 nominees. Notably, the party has opted to cede the Nagaur seat in Rajasthan to the RLP.

Outlined by Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, the list introduces Ajay Rai as the contender against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi. Rai, a seasoned politician who crossed over to the Congress fold in 2012, boasts a robust political presence in the Varanasi region, having served as a five-time MLA in Uttar Pradesh.

The array encompasses a single candidate from West Bengal, Assam, A&N Islands, and Chhattisgarh; paired with two candidates each from J&K, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Rajasthan; a quartet from Maharashtra; a septet from Tamil Nadu; nine from Uttar Pradesh; and a dozen nominees from Madhya Pradesh.

Highlighted within the list are notable figures such as veteran party stalwart and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, who is slated to contest from Rajgarh. Additionally, Congress Vice President Imran Masood has been designated as the candidate from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Further notable mentions include Karti Chidambaram, scion of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, who will vie for the Sivaganga seat in Tamil Nadu, and Danish Ali, a recent entrant to the party, who secures the ticket from Amroha in Uttar Pradesh.

The lineup also features esteemed Congress leader Manickam Tagore, nominated from Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu, and former UPA-2 Union Minister Kantilal Bhuria, who emerges as the choice for Ratlam (ST) in Madhya Pradesh.

Notable inclusions in the Congress' fourth list encompass Akhilesh Pratap Singh (Deoria, UP), Piya Roy Chowdhury (Cooch Behar, WB), Kawasi Lakhma (Chhattisgarh), Raman Bhalla (Jammu), Sanjay Sharma (Hoshangabad, MP), Angomcha Bimol Akoijam (Inner Manipur), and Lalbiakzama (Mizoram), among others.

However, the party remains poised to announce its nominee for Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, a constituency held by Congress stalwart Sonia Gandhi since 2004.