Assembly elections 2022: Congress releases first list of candidates for Uttarakhand and Manipur

Congress has released its first list of candidates for the Uttarakhand and Manipur Assembly poll.

Representational Image (Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: The Congress party has released the first list of 53 candidates for the Uttarakhand Assembly elections and 40 candidates for the Manipur assembly elections on Saturday (January 22, 2022). 

The Congress has released its first list of candidates for the Uttarakhand Assembly polls, and has named party`s state chief Ganesh Gondiyal and legislature party leader (CLP) Preetam Singh in the list.

The Congress has given tickets to father-son duo -- Yashpal Arya and Sanjeev Arya, who defected from the BJP. They have been given tickets from Nainital and Bajpur while former Minister Nav Prabhat has been given ticket from Vikasnagar. Sumit Hridyesh has been given ticket from Haldwani.

The candidates for the prominent seats include Purola - S.C. Malchand; Yamunotri - Deepak Bijalwan; Gangotri - Vijaypal Singh Sajwan; Badrinath - Rajendra Singh Bhandari; Tharali - SC Dr. Jeet Ram; Karnprayag -- Mukesh Singh Negi; Kedarnath - Manoj Rawat; Rudraprayag - Pradeep Thapliyal; Ghanshali - SC Dhani Lal Shah; Deoprayag - Mantri Prasad Naithani; Pratapnagar - Vikram Singh Negi; Pirankaliyar - Mohd Furkan Ahmad; Manglore - Qazi Mohd Nizamuddin.

Polls to elect the 70-member Uttarakhand legislative assembly are scheduled to be held on February 14. The counting will take place on March 10. 

Congress also released the first candidate list for Manipur assembly elections yesterday. Okram Ibobi Singh, who was the chief minister for a record 15 years (2002 to 2017) would contest from the Thoubal assembly seat while his son Surjakumar Okram would contest from the Khangabok seat and former Deputy Chief Minister and sitting MLA Gaikhangam would contest from Nungba constituency.

Manipur state Congress President Nameirakpam Loken Singh (Nambol), former Congress Presidents Gaikhangam (Nungba), T.N Haokip (Saikot), former Assembly Speaker Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh (Khundrakpam), Ratankumar Singh, who was recently appointed working president of Manipur Congress (Mayang Imphal) are also in the first list.

Several former ministers and ex-MLAs are also nominated by the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Congress.

The CEC`s General Secretary and former Union Minister Mukul Wasnik in Delhi announced the candidates` list where names of only two women candidates -- Akoijam Miraibai Devi (Patsoi) and Thokchom Ithoibi Devi (Oinam) -- find their places. Congress sources said that the party has been trying to ally with few local parties and based on the outcome of the ongoing talks, the next list of candidates would be announced.

Manipur assembly elections is scheduled to be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3. The results will be declared on March 10.

(With IANS inputs)