Mallikarjun Kharge chairs Cong CEC to finalise candidates for Telangana

New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) With almost a month left for the Telangana Assembly election, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge chaired the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting for the third time to finalise candidates.

According to the party leaders, Kharge, CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi, General Secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal, state unit chief A.Revanth Reddy, Uttam Reddy, state incharge Manik Rao Thakre, CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu and others too were present. 

On October 25, at least 35 Assembly seats were discussed during the meeting. 

There was a detailed discussion on the candidature of the BRS leaders who had joined the Congress in the last few months. 

The source further pointed out that the leadership had a detailed discussion to accommodate the BRS leaders and other leaders from those respective seats on the basis of winnability.

Party sources said that the rest of the candidates will be finalised at the meeting and in the coming days the leadership will release the second list of candidates.

On October 15, the Congress announced a list of 55 candidates for the Telangana Assembly with Dr Kota Neelima being fielded from Sanathnagar Assembly constituency, Jupally Krishna Rao from Kollapur, party's CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu from Madhur SC reserved seat. 

Polling for the Telangana Assembly will take place on November 30 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.