Suryap

Bhubaneswar: While the 2019 elections are a few weeks away, the Pradesh Congress today sent a tentative list of poll candidates to the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC).

In presence of party's Odisha in-charges, Jitendra Singh and TS Singh Deo, AICC Screening Committee members and Odisha Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik, the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) finalised the tentative list of candidates for 21 Lok Sabha and 147 Assembly constituencies today.

Sources said the AICC will soon announce the final list after making necessary changes to the tentative list sent by the PEC as multiple names have been proposed for particular seats.

“All the members of PEC unanimously decided to urge the party president Rahul Gandhi to take a final call on the list that has been sent. The names will be finalised after a discussion at the Screening Committee and the Central Election Committee,” said TS Singh Deo, party's Odisha in-charge.

PCC president Niranjan Patnaik informed that the PEC has proposed names of multiple aspirants for some seats. However, the final call will be taken by the central leadership, he added.

“First criteria for granting ticket is winability and secondly, obligation towards the party and its leadership. Priority will also be given to youth and women, who can justify themselves,” said Sarat Rout, senior Congress leader.

Apart from this, in today’s meeting, the PEC also discussed possible seat sharing arrangements with CPI, CPI (M) and JMM.

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