Congress holds CEC meeting for Rajasthan polls in Delhi

New Delhi [India], October 31 (ANI): The Congress Central Election Committee held on Monday have finalized candidates for the remaining seats while discussion on a few seats will be done in the next meeting, party sources said.

Party sources further informed that Cabinet Minister Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi who are close aides of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are most likely to be “dropped” from the list of candidates this time.

The meeting was held at AICC headquarters here in New Delhi.

“In the CEC meeting today candidates on most of the remaining seats have been finalized, discussion on the few seats left will be done in tomorrow’s (Tuesday) meet of CEC,” Congress sources said.

Meanwhile the Congress on Friday released its third list of 19 candidates bringing the total number of nominees declared by the party to 95.

The list includes 13 sitting MLAs. Shobha Rani Kushwah is the Congress candidate from Dholpur. Kushwah was previously expelled from the BJP for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections in June last year.

Earlier on October 22 the Congress had released its second list of 43 candidates, naming state ministers Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, and Govind Ram Meghwal.

The ruling party has fielded Govind Ram Meghwal from Khajuwala, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas from Civil Lines and Parsadi Lal Meena from Lolsot.

The Congress had on October 21, released its first list of 33 candidates.

In the 2018 assembly elections, the Congress won 99 seats while the BJP won 73 seats in the 200-member house. Ashok Gehlot came to power with the support of BSP MLAs and independents.

Meanwhile, the BJP released its second list of candidates on October 21, with former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to recontest from Jhalrapatan.

The party declared 83 candidates in the second list which has some prominent names including former Rajasthan BJP president Satish Punia, who has been fielded from Amber constituency.

The BJP had on October 9 released its first list of the 41 candidates.

The polls for the 200-member assembly will be held on November 25.

The counting of votes will take place on December 3. Of the five states, polling in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases.