Congress releases 2nd candidates list; Priya Dutt to contest from Mumbai North-Central

New Delhi: The Congress party on Wednesday released the second list of 21 candidates including Priya Dutta from Mumbai North-Central Lok Sabha seat, and UP party unit chief Raj Babbar from Moradabad.

In January this year, Priya Dutta had written to Congress president Rahul Gandhi saying that she doesn't want to contest the election. However, earlier on Wednesday she expressed her desire to contest the election.

Dutt had entered electoral politics in 2005 and has been contesting from Mumbai North-Central Parliamentary constituency. She had fought three general assembly elections too, the last one in 2014. She lost the last Lok Sabha poll to Poonam Mahajan of the BJP.

Out of 21 candidates, five are from Maharashtra, where 48 Lok Sabha seats are at stake, while 16 from Uttar Pradesh, where 80 seats are at stake.

So far, the Congress has declared 36 candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, which will be held in seven-phase beginning April 11. The last phase of polling is scheduled for May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

Former Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde will contest from Solapur reserved seat in Maharashtra, while former Union Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal will contest from Kanpur and Savitri Bai Phule, who joined Congress only recently, has been fielded from Bahraich reserved seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress has also fielded Nana Patole, former BJP leader, from Nagpur constituency, which is currently held by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Former Union Minister Milind Deora will contest from Mumbai South, while Dr Namdev Dalluji Usendi has been fielded from Gadchiroli-Chimur constituency.

Dr Sanjay Singh has been fielded from Sultanpur, Ratna Singh from Pratapgarh, Kaisar Jahan from Sitapur, Parvez Khan from Sant Kabir Nagar, and Lalitesh Pati Tripathi from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress has fielded Omwati Devi Jatav from Nagina, Zafar Ali Naqvi from Kheri, Manjari Rahi from Misrikh, Ramashankar Bhargava from Mohanlalganj, Rakesh Sacahn from Fatehpur, Kush Saurabh from Basgaon, Pankaj Mohan Sonkar from Lalganj, and Bhagwati Prasad Choudhary from Robertsganj, all in Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress party released its first list on March 7, declaring the candidature of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli and Congress president Rahul Gandhi from Amethi. The list of 15 candidates included 11 from Uttar Pradesh and four from Gujarat.