Congress withdraws its 2nd list of nominees for Guj after tieup with NCP

The Congress today withdrew its second list of 46 candidates for Gujarat assembly polls in the wake of firming up of an alliance with NCP.

The list was withdrawn by the AICC without citing any reason within two hours of its release.

The list was released close on the heels of the first list of 52 candidates which included PCC Chief Arjun Modhvadia and CLP leader Shaktisinh Gohil and a number of sitting MLAs.

Congress general secretary Oscar Fernandes said the AICC move was prompted by the alliance with NCP.

Fernandes, who held talks with some central leaders as also state leaders, said the second list would now be released by the AICC tomorrow.

NCP general secretary DP Tripathi said that under the alliance worked out with Congress, his party has been allocated nine of the 182 seats in the state to contest. NCP has three sitting MLAs and the seats allotted to it by Congress in the last polls were eight.