Woman to fight Rajnath Singh

The Congress is planning to field a woman candidate against BJP president Rajnath Singh who is likely to contest from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat.

Rita Bahuguna-Joshi, the former President of the Mahila Congress, is a strong contender for Lucknow seat. 

Sampat Pal, founder of the vigilante group Gulaab Gang, is also likely to stand from Uttar Pradesh.

Rajnath Singh represents the booming industrial town of Ghaziabad in the Lok Sabha, but is planning to contest the upcoming elections from Lucknow.

Karuna Shukla, the niece of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who joined the Congress last week, is in the reckoning as the party candidate from Bilaspur in Chhatisgarh. 

Former chief minister Ajit Jogi is also eyeing this parliamentary seat. Pratibha Pande, daughter of late Congress leader Vidyacharan Shukla, is being considered as the party’s candidate from Mahasmund. Shukla was among the number of Congress leaders who were killed  in by the naxals in Jhiram Ghati in Bastar on May 25 last.

In Karnataka, Laxmi Hebbalkar is all set to be announced as the Congress candidate from Belgaum.

The meeting of the Central Election Committee of the Congress is scheduled for Friday morning and the first list of candidates could be declared after the meeting.