New Delhi: Tickets for ex-Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary organisation and Rajya Sabha member KC Venugopal are likely to push other senior leaders to contest the coming Lok Sabha polls, Congress functionaries said.
The focus is on the veterans as the Congress is keen to increase its Lok Sabha tally which was 44 out of 543 in 2014 and 52 out of 543 in 2019. Also, while the party was in power in the Hindi speaking states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in 2019, this time it is in the opposition.
The names of seniors like Baghel, Venugopal, Tamradhwaj Sahu, Shashi Tharoor, K Suresh, Ashish Saha, Anto Antony, Jyotsana Mahant and DK Suresh figured in the first list of 39 candidates announced by the party on March 8.
The second list is expected after the second meeting of the party’s central election committee will take place on March 11 to decide more candidates. According to party insiders, the CEC is expected to take up the seats in Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Assam on March 11.
According to party insiders, the seniors who may be fielded for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls include former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda, his son and Rajya Sabha member Deepender Hooda, ex Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot besides MLAs Harish Chaudhary and Sachin Pilot. While Deepender has been Lok Sabha MP from Rohtak, Harish and Sachin have been Lok Sabha MPs from Barmer and Ajmer.
The list of probable candidates who hold key positions in the party also include AICC general secretary Jitendra Singh, Madhya Pradesh PCC chief Jitu Patwari, Rajasthan PCC chief Govind Dotasara, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh, former MP PCC chief Arun Yadav besides senior Haryana leaders Kumari Selja and Rajya Sabha member Randeep Surjewala.
Former CWC member Tariq Anwar may be fielded from Bihar while sitting Punjab MP and ex union minister Manish Tewari is ready to join the contest again. So is former union minister and ex MP Pawan Kumar Bansal and former MP JP Aggarwal, said party insiders.
"It will be good if seniors fight the national elections. This will convey a sense of confidence in the party and will reassure the voters that the party is fielding the best candidates," All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary-in-charge of Bihar Ajay Kapoor told ETV Bharat.
“See, veterans have experience of contesting polls and managing elections. They have their achievements to showcase and carry their own influence in the party and in the area and on the nearby seats. Their candidature also certainly helps the party convey a message that it is seriously in the fray. If the party asks me to contest, I will fight the polls," former Delhi MP JP Aggarwal told ETV Bharat.
However, a section of the party believes otherwise.
"I don't think the presence of one big name contesting Lok Sabha polls in a state will draw the voters towards other party candidates. In the national elections, the contest varies from seat to seat and depends on several other factors," a CWC member said.
