As Congress releases first Lok Sabha list, the major takeaways: Message to veterans, in Kerala only one MP dropped

The Congress on Friday announced its first list of 39 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, fielding senior leader Rahul Gandhi once again from Wayanad in Kerala, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel from Rajnandgaon, and former Chhattisgarh Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu from Mahasamund.

The candidatures of Baghel and Sahu signal the Congress’s intention to field its senior leaders in the Hindi heartland states, where the party was wiped out in the 2019 elections. There is talk in party circles about fielding former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Sachin Pilot. By fielding All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP K C Venugopal the party has signalled that veteran parliamentarians in the Upper House may have to prepare to contest the Lok Sabha polls, party insiders said. Venugopal will contest from Alappuzha in Kerala, a constituency he has represented in the past. It is the only one of Kerala’s 20 constituencies that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) lost last time.

The list, announced by Venugopal and party treasurer Ajay Maken, includes 18 seats the party currently holds. Of the 39 candidates, 15 belong to the general category and 24 are from the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and minority communities. The party said 12 of the candidates were under the age of 50 while 74-year-old Sahu is one of seven candidates above 71 years old.

In Kerala, the party has retained all sitting MPs except Thrissur MP T N Prathapan. He has been replaced by incumbent Vadakara MP K Muraleedharan, the son of former CM K Karunakaran. He will take on popular Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi who