Kharge, Khera, and Meenakshi among 7 Congress RS candidates

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party spokesperson Pawan Khera and data analytics head Praveen Chakravarty are among the seven candidates named by the Congress on Thursday for the RS elections from five states.

Kharge will seek re-election from his home state of Karnataka. He has been fielded along with Khera and Mansoor Ali Khan for the three seats the Congress is expected to win from the state, though securing the third berth may require support from additional legislators.

Former Lok Sabha MP Meenakshi Natarajan, a close associate of Rahul Gandhi, has been nominated from MP for the lone seat the Congress is in a position to win. It remains to be seen whether the BJP, which has already announced two candidates, fields a third nominee and forces a contest.


In Tamil Nadu, after receiving support from Vijay-led TVK, the Congress fielded Praveen Chakravarty for the RS seat. The party also nominated AICC secretary Pranav Jha, who is currently attached to Kharge's office, from Jharkhand.

Outgoing Rajasthan RS MP Neeraj Dangi, a Dalit leader, has been renominated from the state.