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Arjun Singh, Karunakaran, Vora and V C Shukla in Congress list

The Congress released its list of party candidates for Madhya Pradesh and Kerala today with veterans like K Karunakaran and Motilal Vora fighting from the Thiruvananthapuram and Rajnandgaon parliamentary seats respectively.

The party has also cleared the names of former Maharashtra chief ministers A R Antulay (Kolaba) and Sudhakar Naik (Washim) and former Lok Sabha speaker Shivraj Patil (Latur).

In Maharashtra, the Congress has left four seats for the Republican Party of India and the Samajwadi Party, a constituent of the United Front which is bound to create problems for the combine.

In Kerala, former Union minister Mullapally Ramachandran will contest from Kannur while A C Jose will do likewise from the Mukundapuram seat.

Former Youth Congress president Ramesh Chennitala will be the candidate from the Kottayam seat, P C Chacko from Idukki and former Union agriculture minister P J Kurien from Mavelikara.

In Madhya Pradesh, Congress general secretary Madhavrao Scindia has been fielded from Gwalior. However, the Congress leadership has so far kept the Guna seat pending, probably because it is waiting to see whether the BJP's Vijayaraje Scindia (Madhavrao Scindia's mother) will contest from that seat.

Party spokesman Ajit Jogi is fighting from Raigarh while former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla from Raipur.

Former Union environment minister Kamal Nath has been fielded from Chhindwara while Congress Working Committee member Arjun Singh will be the candidate in Hoshangabad.

Arif Beg is contesting from Bhopal and Kanti Lal Bhuria from the Jhabua (scheduled caste) seat. Jhabua has been held by Dalip Singh Bhuria, who has left the party and is now contesting on a BJP ticket.

Today's list has resolved the controversy over the Mukundapuram constituency in Kerala.

P C Chacko, whose candidature from Mukundapuram was opposed by Karunakaran, has been shifted to Idukki. He replaces A C Jose who has been offered Mukundapuram.

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