New Delhi, March 30
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, Youth Congress leader Manish Tiwari, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat’s nephew Pratap Singh Khachariyavas and late Phoolan Devi’s husband Umed Singh figure in the list of 69 Lok Sabha candidates released by the Congress today.

The Congress also announced the candidature of K.C.Kondaiah for the Bellary seat in Karnataka, thus ending all speculation that Priyanka Gandhi could be fielded from her mother’s old constituency.

Mr Jogi, whose suspension was formally revoked today, has been nominated for the Mahasamund constituency, vacated by Mr. S.C.Shukla. Mr. Jogi will now take on former colleague and bete noire V.C.Shukla, who has now crossed over to the BJP.

Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal maintained that Mr. Jogi’s suspension was revoked as he had apologised for his role in the “cash for MLA” sting operation.

Mr Sibal said this decision would have come earlier but the party was awaiting the CBI report in the case. “Since there is no report from the CBI, the party had accepted the disciplinary committee’s report clearing Mr. Jogi,” he added.

Today’s list also named four more candidates from Punjab. Sitting MP Jagmeet Singh Brar, who did not wish to contest from his old constituency Faridkot, has been moved to Ferozepore while former Chief Minister H.S. Brar’s daughter-in-law Karan Brar is the Congress nominee for Faridkot. The Tarn Taran seat has gone to Sukhbinder S. Sarkaria.

The Ludhiana seat has been allotted to Youth Congress leader Manish Tiwari, edging out former filmstar Rajesh Khanna, who was also in the race. The Punjab Congress actually wanted former Finance Minister Manmohan Singh to contest from Ludhiana but he declined on health grounds.

The party has fielded Mr Arvind Khanna from Sangrur and Rana Gurjit Singh from Jalandhar. Hoshiarpur has gone to the CPM’s kitty.

Mrs Meira Kumar, daughter of late Jagjivan Ram, is the Congress nominee from Sasaram in Bihar while Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s wife Ujwala Shinde has been named from her husband’s constituency, Sholapur.

After dithering for days, the Congress finally released a list of 18 candidates from Uttar Pradesh, which includes Satish Sharma, who has been moved to Sultanpur from Rae Bareli now being contested by party president Sonia Gandhi. Late Phoolan Devi’s husband Ummed Singh is the Congress nominee for the Basti seat while Ram Ashish Rai, till recently with the BJP, will battle it out from Deoria.