Women power dominate Cong's latest LS list

Women power dominated the list of candidates announced by the Congress on Friday with actor Urmila Matondkar and senior journalist Supriya Shrinate taking the political plunge by contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

While Urmila will contest from Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat against BJP's Gopal Shetty, Supriya will be in the fray from Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh— a seat once represented by her father the late Harshvardhan Singh.

Former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar will contest from her family stronghold Sasaram in Bihar while sitting Lok Sabha member Ranjeet Ranjan has been re-nominated from Supaul.

The candidature of Supriya, who announced stepping down as the executive editor of business news channel 'ET Now', caused a flutter within the Congress circles as the party had on only Thursday night fielded Anushree Tripathi, the daughter of jailed politician Amar Mani Tripathi, from Maharajganj seat.

Congress fielded Neelam Devi from Munger in Bihar, Madhumita Sethi from Bhadrak and Pratima Mallick from Jagatsinghpur, both in Odisha, and Bobbeeta Sharma from Guwahati in Assam.

“I will be taking an active plunge in politics, am grateful to Congress, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia for trusting me with Maharajganj. It will be an honour to keep my late father’s legacy alive. I look forward to making a meaningful contribution,” Supriya said soon after the Congress announced her candidature.

Sitting BJP MP from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh Ashok Dohare, who joined the Congress on Friday morning, was fielded from the same seat by the grand old party.

Dohare was denied a ticket by the BJP, which shifted its Agra MP Rama Shankar Katheria to Etawah.

In Odisha, Congress fielded Brig. K P Singhdeo (retd), the scion of the royal family of Dhenkanal, from the eponymous Lok Sabha seat.

Congress has announced 310 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections so far, with sources said that the party may field at least 120 more over the next few days.