Son rise: Congress picks Nakul Nath, Vaibhav Gehlot in second list of candidates for Lok Sabha polls

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, March 12

The Congress on Tuesday announced its second list of 43 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielding Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath once again from Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara and Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot from Rajasthan’s Jalore.

While party heavyweights and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot have decided not to contest the elections, their sons figure in the list.

Nakul Nath, who was rumoured to be all set to switch allegiance to the BJP, has been given ticket again from the family bastion, while Vaibhav Gehlot, who unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha election from Jodhpur, has been fielded from Jalore this time.

76.7% below 60 years

• Of the party’s 43 candidates on the second list, 76.7 per cent are below 60 years
• 25 are below 50 years, eight between 51 and 60 years & 10 between 61 and 72 years

The party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi has been fielded from Assam’s Jorhat and sitting MP Pradyut Bordoloi from Nagaon. Gaurav Gogoi, the son of former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi, is the sitting MP of Kaliabor. The Congress will contest 13 seats of Assam, while one seat (Dibrugarh) has been left for Lurinjyoti Gogoi of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP).

Rahul Kaswan, who switched over from the BJP a few days ago, has been fielded from Churu in Rajasthan. Kaswan is the outgoing MP from Churu and has represented the constituency twice. He is the son of four-time former MP Ram Singh Kaswan and grandson of former MP Deep Chand Kaswan. His mother Kamala Kaswan was an MLA.

While Harish Chandra Meena, a confidant of senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot and former DGP, has been fielded from the Tonk-Sawai Madhopur constituency, Karan Singh Uchiyarda will contest from Jodhpur. The list has several young faces who have replaced the old guard. Of the party’s 43 candidates on this list, 76.7 per cent are below the age of 60 years. The list was finalised yesterday at the party’s Central Election Committee meeting chaired by president Mallikarjun Kharge. Party leaders K C Venugopal, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera announced the list at a press conference here today. The second list comprises 12 seats from Assam, 10 each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, seven from Gujarat, three from Uttarakhand and one seat from Daman and Diu. “Out of the 43 candidates, 33 are from SCs/STs/OBCs and minorities,” AICC general secretary Venugopal said.