New Delhi, Oct 27: Congress today began the process of finalising its candidates for the forthcoming assembly polls in five states with its Central Election Committee meeting here today. During the three-day exercise, presided over by party chief Sonia Gandhi, the lists of party candidates for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh, Delhi and Mizoram, which have been forwarded by the screening committees of the states, would be scrutinised, party sources said. Gandhi had appointed separate committees, headed by senior party leaders, for the states going to polls to screen the lists before these are forwarded to the Central Election Committee for finalising. Manmohan Singh heads the committee for Rajasthan, Moti Lal Vora and Pranab Mukherjee for Delhi and Chhatisgarh respectively, G Venkataswami for Madhya Pradesh. Congress is in power in the four states.
The sources said the CEC would take up Madhya Pradesh first to finalise candidates for 230-member assembly. Rajasthan would be taken up tomorrow and Chhatisgarh on Thursday.


Bureau Report