LS Poll 2024 Highlights: Rahul Gandhi Confirms Wayanad Candidacy; Silence On UP Seats Sparks Speculation

In the first meeting of the election body, the central election committee of the party vetted Rahul Gandhi's candidacy from Kerala's Wayanad, the seat he represented in the last Lok Sabha, including a brief period of his suspension.

It was also discussed that there was no confirmation on whether Rahul Gandhi would contest from Amethi, the seat he lost to BJP's Smriti Irani, as Uttar Pradesh was not discussed during Thursday's meeting.

Photo Credit: PTI

Rahul Gandhi Confirms Wayanad Candidacy - Here are the key takeaways

Shashi Tharoor's candidacy from his Thiruvananthapuram seat, which he has made a Congress turf since 2009, was also confirmed. The meeting was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, and general secretary KC Venugopal, while Rahul Gandhi participated in the meeting via Zoom.

The panel on Thursday discussed and cleared candidates for Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim, and Manipur. However, the Congress has not yet released any candidate list, as reported by Hindustan Times.

The main takeaways from the Congress CEC meeting to finalize the 1st list of candidates are as follows:

1. Rahul Gandhi's candidacy from Wayanad and Shashi Tharoor's candidacy from Thiruvananthapuram have been confirmed.

2. The first list of candidates is expected to include contestants for the Lok Sabha election 2024 from Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim, and Manipur, as these were the states discussed first.

3. The suspense surrounding Amethi and Rai Bareli will persist as Uttar Pradesh was not addressed during the election committee meeting. It is anticipated that Amethi will be Rahul Gandhi's second seat, while there are rumours of Priyanka Gandhi making her debut from Rai Bareli, the former seat of Sonia Gandhi.

4. The Congress's first list will not feature any candidates from Uttar Pradesh, where it has entered into a seat-sharing agreement with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, as reported by Hindustan Times.

5. After the CEC meeting, Sachin Pilot stated that a thorough discussion was held on each seat, and decisions will be announced soon. He emphasized that candidates who are best positioned to win will be asked to contest.