Lok Sabha polls: Y S Sharmila to take on cousin in Kadapa; Jawed to contest from Kishanganj, Tariq Anwar from Katihar

The Congress Tuesday declared a list of 17 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, fielding Mohammad Jawed and Tariq Anwar from Bihar's Kishanganj and Katihar respectively and its Andhra Pradesh unit chief Y S Sharmila is pitted against her cousin and sitting YSR Congress Party MP Y S Avinash Reddy in Kadapa Lok Sabha segment. Former Union Ministers MM Pallam Raju and JD Seelam will be fielded from Kakinada and Bapatla respectively in the May 13 polls.

The Congress released its list of candidates for eight seats of Odisha, five seats of Andhra Pradesh, three of Bihar and one of West Bengal.

In Bihar, besides Anwar and Jawed, the party fielded MLA Ajeet Sharma from Bhagalpur.

In Andhra Pradesh, besides Sharmila and Raju, the party has fielded Gidugu Rudra Raju fom Rajahmundry, J D Saleem from Bapatla (SC) and P G Ramapullaiah Yadav from Kurnool.

The party named Munish Tamang as its candidate from West Bengal's Darjeeling.

With this, the total number of candidates declared by the party so far is 228.

The party has renominated its sitting MP from Koraput (ST) Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka.

In Odisha, besides Ulaka, the party has fielded Sanjay Bhoi from Bargarh (ST), Janardan Dehury from Sundargarh (ST), Manoj Mishra from Bolangir, Draupadi Manjhi from Kalahandi, Bhujabal Majhi from Nabarangpur (ST), Amir Chand Nayak from Kandhamal, Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik from Berhampur.

However, the suspense over the high-profile seats of Amethi and Raebareli continues.