No tickets to those who lost assembly polls twice: Congress

Congress today decided not to give tickets to candidates who lost assembly elections twice earlier in Gujarat or those who lost the last assembly elections by margins of more than 15,000 votes, party sources said.

This decision was taken at a Congress screening committee meeting held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister CP Joshi, in which state leaders were also present.

The committee which also comprises Union Minister of State for Petroleum RPN Singh, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president Arjun Modhvadia and leader of opposition of state Shaktisinh Gohil, has been formed by the party high command to select candidates for the Gujarat state assembly elections scheduled to be held by the year end.

The Congress has already prepared a list of probable candidates for each of the 182 assembly seats of the state where elections will be held for the first time after delimitation.

"The other decision taken by the committee is that a person who fought elections at panchyat or municipality level in constituencies will be given preference for tickets," party sources said.

The party has also decided to give maximum tickets to youth, women, professionals and those with higher education, sources said.