Final list of 19 candidates for Maharashtra assembly polls sent to Sonia Gandhi for approval

New Delhi [India], Sept 11 (ANI): The final list of 19 candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections has been sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi for approval, sources said on Wednesday.

A meeting of Maharashtra Screening Committee was held here earlier today. The meeting was attended by senior leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia, Mallikarjun Kharge, Balasaheb Thorat, and Eknath Gaikwad.

Gaikwad told ANI: "The Congress will contest on 19 seats in Mumbai whereas the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will fight on seven seats."

Claiming that Congress' poll pact with the NCP is confirmed, senior party leader Kharge said: "The name of candidates will be finalised in the meeting of the Screening Committee, which is slated to be held on September 14."

"So far, a consensus has been reached on a total of 61 seats. Some seats in Mumbai have to be discussed with the NCP and the Samajwadi Party (SP)," he said.

Reacting to the resignation of Urmila Matondkar and Kripashankar Singh, the party leader said: "Urmila Matondkar is ideologically committed. An attempt will be made to address her complaints. I have spoken to the presidents of the party's Mumbai and Maharashtra units."

"As far as Kripashankar Singh is concerned, he was saying that he will give me the list of candidates by tomorrow evening. Suddenly, he remembered Article 370," he quipped.