NEW DELHI, Jan 29: The Congress is to field its candidates from 40 of the total 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra.It has decided to leave the remaining eight seats to its electoral allies, including the Samajwadi Party, the Republican Party of India, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) general secretary Gurunath Kulkarni said.
The party has finalised its list for 36 constituencies, Kulkarni said, adding that names of Congress candidates for Malegaon, Jalna, Chandrapur and Osmanabad would be finalised by tomorrow.
Sushil Kumar Shinde, AR Antulay, Vilasrao Muttemwar, Sudhakarrao Naik and Datta Meghe are among the names cleared. This list has been held back for some time now despite the Congress Election Committee (CEC) agreeing on a majority of the names.
The ``full and final'' list of Congress nominees from Maharashtra would be announced in New Delhi within the next two days, Kulkarni said.
Earlier in the day, Congress spokesman Vasant Chavan announced that there was no questionof readmitting Suresh Kalmadi into the party.
From Madhya Pradesh, the party is understood to have cleared Ashutosh Sharma (son of former President Shanker Dayal Sharma), six State Ministers, Motilal Vora, VC Shukla and Kamal Nath among others.
The Kerala list too has been held up due to infighting in the party. Former Union Minister K Karunakaran is apparently blocking Sharad Pawar loyalist PC Chacko's case from Mukundapuram and this has stalled things.
18 file papers in city
A DAY after the filing of nominations for the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra began, 18 candidates filed their papers today.
Shiv Sena nominee from Ratnagiri, Anant Gite and Congress nominee from Mumbai North-East Gurudas Kamat were among the candidates, who filed their nominations today. Other prominent candidates who filed nominations today included BJP's member in the dissolved Lok Sabha, Jaywantiben Mehta, who is contesting from Mumbai South.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
