Congress Releases First List of 39 Candidates for Lok Sabha Elections; Rahul Gandhi to Contest from Wayanad

Delhi – The Congress party has announced its first list of 39 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, which are expected to be held in the coming weeks.

The list includes some prominent names, such as Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, Bhupesh Baghel, and Tamradhwaj Sahu, who will be contesting from different states and constituencies.

Rahul Gandhi to Seek Re-election from Wayanad

The most notable name on the list is Rahul Gandhi, the former Congress president and MP from Wayanad, Kerala. He will be seeking re-election from the same seat, which he won by a margin of over 4 lakh votes in 2019. Gandhi had also contested from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, his traditional bastion, but lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani.

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Gandhi’s decision to contest from Wayanad again is seen as a strategic move to boost the party’s prospects in the southern states, especially Kerala, where it is in a direct fight with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF). Gandhi has been campaigning extensively in the state, highlighting the issues of farmers, fishermen, youth, and women. He has also promised to implement a ‘Right to Apprentice Act’ that would guarantee paid apprenticeships to every graduate under 25 years of age.

Congress releases the first list of 39 candidates for Lok Sabha elections; Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad (Kerala), Bhupesh Baghel from Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh),Tamradhwaj Sahu from Mahasamund (Chhattisgarh), Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvanathapuram (Kerala), Hibi Eden from… pic.twitter.com/xyo6SIID0Z

— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2024

Other Key Candidates and Constituencies

• Shashi Tharoor, the former Union minister and MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He will be contesting from the same seat, which he has represented since 2009. Tharoor is known for his eloquence, erudition, and advocacy on various national and international issues. He has also authored several books, including the recent ‘The Battle of Belonging: On Nationalism, Patriotism, and What It Means to Be Indian’.
• Bhupesh Baghel, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh and MP from Rajnandgaon. He will be contesting from the same seat, which he won by a margin of over 2 lakh votes in 2019. Baghel is credited with leading the Congress to a landslide victory in the 2018 assembly elections, ending the 15-year rule of the BJP in the state. He has also implemented several welfare schemes, such as the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana’, which provides direct cash transfers to farmers based on their crop production.
• Tamradhwaj Sahu, the Union minister of state for panchayati raj and MP from Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh. He will be contesting from the same seat, which he won by a margin of over 1 lakh votes in 2019. Sahu is a prominent leader of the Sahu community, which constitutes a significant vote bank in the state. He has also been instrumental in strengthening the panchayati raj system and empowering the rural masses.
• Hibi Eden, the MP from Ernakulam, Kerala. He will be contesting from the same seat, which he won by a margin of over 1.6 lakh votes in 2019. Eden is one of the youngest MPs in the current Lok Sabha, and a rising star in the Congress party. He has been vocal on various issues, such as the Citizenship Amendment Act, the farm laws, and the fuel price hike. He has also been active in providing relief and rehabilitation to the flood-affected people in his constituency.
• DK Suresh, the MP from Bangalore Rural, Karnataka. He will be contesting from the same seat, which he won by a margin of over 2.2 lakh votes in 2019. Suresh is the brother of DK Shivakumar, the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and a powerful leader in the state. Suresh has been involved in various development projects in his constituency, such as the construction of roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals.

Congress Hopes to Improve its Performance

The Congress Party, which has been out of power at the Centre since 2014, is hoping to improve its performance in the Lok Sabha elections, by putting up a united and strong fight against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The party has also been trying to forge alliances with regional parties, such as the DMK in Tamil Nadu, the NCP in Maharashtra, and the RJD in Bihar, to increase its chances of winning more seats.

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The party has also been highlighting the failures and shortcomings of the Modi government, such as the mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic slowdown, the rising unemployment, the farmers’ agitation, the border tensions with China, and the erosion of democratic institutions.

The Congress party has also been projecting its vision and agenda for the country, such as the ‘Nyuntam Aay Yojana’ (NYAY), which promises a minimum income guarantee of Rs 72,000 per year to the poorest 20% of the population.

The party is expected to release more lists of candidates in the coming days, covering the remaining states and constituencies. The party has also said that it will give adequate representation to women, youth, and marginalized sections of the society, in line with its motto of ‘Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath’ (Congress’s hand, with the common man).