New Delhi: Several Union Ministers including V Kishore Chandra Deo, M M Pallam Raju, Panabaka Lakshmi and K Janasurya Prakash Reddy are among the Congress` 20 Lok Sabha candidates whose names were announced on Sunday night.
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) also released a list of 139 nominees for the Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, the first after the state`s bifurcation to create separate Telangana.
Former Andhra state unit chief Botsa Satyanarayana and some former state ministers figure in the list of the Assembly candidates.
In the Lok Sabha, Deo (Tribal Affairs Minister) has been renominated from the Araku seat, Pallam Raju (Human Resource Development Minister) from Kakinada, Lakshmi (Minister of State for Textiles) from Baptala (SC) and Reddy (Minister of State for Railways) from Kurnool.
Other Lok Sabha candidates include Killi Krupa Rani from Srikakulam, Jhansi Laxmi Botcha from Vizianagaram, K Bapiraju from Narsapuram and Dr Chinta Mohan from Tirupati (SC).
Congress which had been in power in Andhra Pradesh for the past 10 years is facing a challenging task in the Seemandhra region this time in the wake of the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.
The candidates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections announced tonight are regarding the Seemandhra region from where several former Union ministers, MPs, MLAs have left the party recently in protest against the decision to bifurcate the state.
