The Congress has already announced candidates for nine seats in the state. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai said there was no discussion on Amethi and Raebareli.“We had conveyed our views on these seats (Amethi and Rae Bareli) the last time. It is up to the leadership now to take a decision,” he said. It is being speculated that besides Wayanad in Kerala, Rahul Gandhi may also contest from Amethi, a seat he represented earlier.Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may be fielded from Rae Bareli, a seat that was previously held by her mother and former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Both seats are considered strongholds of the Gandhi family, and the local units of the Congress have demanded that the two scions of the family should contest.According to party insiders, names for Prayagraj and Mathura were also cleared. The Congress is in an alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh and is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The CEC first discussed candidatures for seats in Goa and thereafter Jharkhand and Telangana. And UP seats were taken up last.After the meeting, Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur said that the Congress would contest on 14 seats in the state. “The leadership will take a decision soon (on the candidates’ list), and you will be informed about it. We have fixed the number of seats we will contest, which is 14. The INDIA bloc will fight on 14 seats and will fight with full force.”Congress in-charge for Jharkhand, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, added, “We had detailed discussions on many seats of Jharkhand… Our appeal to our workers, leaders, and the people who support us is that if you also want to overthrow this government, then come, support, and vote for us.”There was a buzz in the party corridor that it might announce the names for four seats in Jharkhand, including Ranchi, Lohardaga, Khunti, and Hazaribagh, after the CEC meeting. The panel will meet again on March 31st.
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