Congress to declare first list of Maharashtra candidates on September 20: Thorat

The Congress will release the first list of 50 candidates for Maharashtra assembly elections on September 20, state Congress President Balasaheb Thorat has said.

Thorat told ANI on Wednesday that the list was prepared after four meetings of the party's screening committee.

"The first list of party candidates will be declared on September 20. The party has decided to give priority to sitting MLAs to contest in the upcoming election. Tickest for senior leaders, who have the chances of winning are also being considered," Thorat said.

He said that the BJP and Shiv Sena were trying to shift the agenda by raising the issues concerning Veer Savarkar and abrogation of Article 370.

"However, the assembly polls will be fought on local issues that concern the common man. These include economic distress apart from farmers' suffering," Thorat said.

Asked about the chief ministerial candidate for the Congress-NCP alliance in the state, he said that decision will be made amicably by the parties.

He sought to downplay party leaders leaving the Congress.

"When leaders quit it does not affect the party. The Congress went through bigger defections in 1999 but we still won the following elections."

Sources said former chief ministers Prithviraj Chavan and Ashok Chavan, Praniti Shinde and Thorat will be among those who will contest the polls.

The names of Sanjay Nirupam, Milind Deora and Rajiv Satav are not being discussed, they said.

Party leader Husain Dalwai is also keen to contest but the party has not taken a final decision.

The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have forged an alliance in the state with both deciding to contest 125 seats of the total 288 seats in the assembly. The alliance also includes some smaller parties.