UP Congress authorises Sonia to finalise Lok Sabha candidates

At the maiden meeting of the newly-constituted election committee for Uttar Pradesh, senior Congress leaders put the ball of selecting the Lok Sabha candidates in party president Sonia Gandhi's court.

Briefing reporters about the decision, general secretary in-charge of the state Madhusudan Mistry said while many names have been discussed and shortlisted, a formal announcement would have to wait the approval of the party president.

This announcement, he informed, could come late February.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Nirmal Khatri said the party had set rolling a unique exercise in Khalilabad and Varanasi where the Congress workers have been asked to vote and select LS candidates. He added the state screening committee would continue to go through the names being put forth to it.

Congress also questioned the silence of the Bharatiya Janata Party on where from its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would contest LS polls. Mistry said while it was very clear that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was the party candidate from Amethi, there was no such clarity on Modi.