Congress Releases Third List of 76 Candidates for Gujarat Polls

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi at an election campaign rally at Muvada Chokad in Dahod, Gujarat on Saturday.

(Photo: PTI)

The Congress on Sunday, 26 November, released its third list of 76 candidates for the second phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections, filing of nominations for which ends on 27 November.

The party, which has been seeking to dislodge the BJP from power in the western state, earlier announced the names of 86 candidates in two phases. The party, however, could not finalise the names of its candidates in 20 more seats.

Congress general secretary Oscar Fernandes released the third list to the media.

The list featured at least 11 candidates from Scheduled Tribes and three from Scheduled Caste communities.

In a bid to pacify the agitated Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), the Congress on Monday, 20 November, had released its second list of nominees that listed nine new candidates and replaced four from its first list of 77 candidates following protests by the Hardik Patel-led PASS.

The Congress has been out of power in the crucial state for over two decades.

The polling for the two-phase elections in Gujarat, having total 182 seats, will take place on 9 and 14 December and votes will be counted on 18 December.

Eighty-nine seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat region are going to polls in the first phase, while the remaining 93 seats in central and northern region would go for polls in the second phase.