Over 50 people have sought Cong LS ticket from Latur: Deshmukh

As many as 52 people have sought the Congress ticket from Latur for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, party MLA Amit Deshmukh said Thursday.

The Latur seat, represented by former Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil seven times between 1980-99, is now a Scheduled Caste reserved constituency following delimitation.

Patil lost the 2004 LS poll to BJP's Rupatai Nilangekar who in turn was defeated by the Congress' Jaywantrao Awale in the 2009 polls.

The seat is currently held by BJP's Sunil Gaikwad.

Deshmukh Thursday said the 52 people who had come forward to seek a Congress ticket from the seat were highly educated and qualified professionals.

"The state (Congress) leaders were presently surprised with the manner in which party workers from Latur attended the meeting called by state unit chief Ashok Chavan to discuss the party's preparedness and probable candidates for each of the constituencies. This gave the party hopes to wrest the seat again," Deshmukh said.

The BJP has made rapid inroads in Latur, which was once a Congress bastion, winning the municipal corporation and Zilla Parishad polls.

Deshmukh, a two-time MLA and son of late Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, said the list of aspirants will be screened at the district level and a final list will be submitted to the state unit for approval.