The Andhra Pradesh Congress election committee held a marathon meeting to finalise the list of candidates here on Thursday ahead of its meeting with the AICC screening committee members in Delhi on Friday.
The AP Congress election committee met at the residence of Union Minister and campaign committee chairman K. Chiranjeevi. APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy, manifesto committee Chairman Anam Ramanarayan Reddy and former PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana were closeted with Mr. Chiranjeevi for over three hours.
70 names finalised?The committee members almost completed the exercise to finalise the list of candidates to be submitted to the AICC screening committee, sources said. The leaders who finalised the names of about 70 candidates in Seemandhra two days ago gave the finishing touche to the list.
Manifesto discussedThe central screening committee is expected to announce the list on Friday evening or Saturday, the day notification for second phase of Assembly and Lok Sabha elections would be issued.
The committee also discussed issues to be included in the manifesto. It is likely to be released in a couple of days after seeking the advice of high command.
The PCC sources said that tickets were finalised for all the sitting members who are continuing in the party. The discussion mainly centred around fresh faces and those Congress leaders who are not willing to contest this time.
Likely LS candidatesSome of the candidates who figured in the Lok Sabha candidates list of AP Congress election Committee are Dasari Kiran Kumar, a film producer and Youth Congress leader for Guntur, ex-MLA Laxmi Durgesh for Rajahmundry, ex-mayor Janardhan for Visakhapatnam, a Vysya community leader Pavan Kumar from Ongole, Saipratap who returned to the party fold from Rajampet.
It is learnt that AICC SC Committee Chairman Koppula Raju is also being persuaded to enter the fray from Amalapuram, according to sources.
