Congress unveils its star campaigners in Bengal

The Congress on Friday released the list of its star campaigners for the first phase of assembly elections scheduled for March 27. Two former cricketers Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mohammad Azharuddin have been named in the list.

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday released a list of 30-star campaigners for the first phase of the Bengal Assembly elections.

Party's interim chief Sonia Gandhi, ex-PM Dr Manmohan Singh and party leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sachin Pilot, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Abhijit Mukherjee and Mohd Azharuddin have been listed.

During a presser, Congress spokesperson, Pawan Khera said, "It is the first time that Congress General Secretary Priyanka will be campaigning for the party outside Uttar Pradesh, apart from Delhi and Chhattisgarh where she had campaigned for the Assembly polls."

Congress releases 30 star campaigners' list for West Bengal

"The other star campaigners are Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala are also on the campaigners' list.

The Congress is contesting 92 seats in West Bengal in alliance with the Communist Party Of India (Marxist) and the Indian Secular Front (ISF). The local leaders A.H. Khan Choudhury, Deepa Dasmunshi and Pradeep Bhattacharya are in the Congress list of star campaigners.

The Congress during the 2016 Assembly polls had contested 92 seats and won 44, of which nearly 20 MLAs defected to the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The Congress is the second-largest party in the outgoing state Assembly holding the Leader of the Opposition's post.

West Bengal would go to the polls from March 27 in eight phases and counting of votes will take place on May 2.

(With inputs from IANS)

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