New Delhi, October 12
Eighteen sitting Congress MLAs and some ministers are said to cleared the first hurdle in the race to candidature for the state assembly elections.

At the second meeting of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) held here yesterday to finalize the list, candidature of 18 sitting MLAs is learnt to have been cleared. The names will be sent as single name entries to the Congress Screening Committee for Delhi which is expected to meet after October 17.

Among those whose names have reportedly been cleared are - UD and Revenue Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely; PWD and Minorities Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan; Health Minister AK Walia, MLA from Kalkaji Subhash Chopra; Parliamentary Secretary to CM Prahlad Singh Sawhney, who is also a sitting MLA from Chandni Chowk.

Ministers and sitting MLAs on whose names there was lack of consensus for distribution of tickets include Education Minister Kiran Walia; Jangpura MLA Tarwinder Marwah who is now learnt to be seeking a ticket for his son if not himself; Transport Minister and Rajendar Nagar MLA Ramakant Goswami and Deputy Speaker Amarish Gautam.

New Delhi, October 12
A 48-year-old businessman was allegedly abducted by unknown persons last evening, when he had gone out of his house in west Delhi after informing his family that he would return after some time. The man has been identified as Dara Singh, aresident of Sindhi Gate, Palam area. He runs a jewellery shop and is also a property dealer. — TNS