Gujarat: Congress announces 2 more LS candidates

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday announced the name of two more candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat.

While the party has fielded Sherkhan Pathan from Bharuch seat, Babubhai Katara will contest from Dahod Lok Sabha parliamentary constituency.

The announcement comes days after the Gujarat Congress unit had requested senior party leader Ahmed Patel to contest from the Bharuch seat.

Patel, who is currently a Rajya Sabha member, had won from the seat thrice, in 1977, 1980 and 1984. However, he lost to BJP’s Chandubhai Deshmukh in 1991, after which he did not contest from the constituency.

Since then, the BJP has gained hold of the Bharuch seat.

So far, the Congress has announced 357 candidates for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, Congress president Rahul Gandhi approved the candidature of Kantilal Muljibhai Patel as the party candidate for the by-election to the Unjha assembly seat in Gujarat.

Polling for 26 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on April 23. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won all the 26 seats in the state.

[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]