Shillong, March 8: The Indian National Congress has released its first list of candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections with Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi being retained in Wayanad constituency of Kerela which he won with a huge margin in the 2019 elections.
Here in Meghalaya, sitting Congress MP and state party president Vincent Pala has been retained as the candidate for the prestigious Shillong seat which he has continued to represent for three consecutive terms.
On expected lines, sitting Congress MLA Saleng A Sangma, current MLA from Gambegre in West Garo Hills district has been named the party candidate for Tura Lok Sabha seat.
Saleng Sangma will be taking on NPP’s Agatha K Sangma who has so far remained undefeated from this prestigious constituency that has been the bastion of her late father P A Sangma who also had the record of being undefeated in the parliamentary polls all through his political career. Agatha first won from Tura in the 2009 general elections and had a brief stint as a state legislator before returning to Delhi’s corridors of power.
The first list of candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections cleared by the Congress CEC has 39 names.
Among the selected are 15 candidates from the General category and 24 candidates representing the SC, ST, OBC and minority groups.
There are 12 selected candidates below the age of 50 years, 8 candidates are in the age group 50–60, 12 others in the age group 61-70 and remaining 7 candidates hitting the sunset age of 71-76.
