New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS): The Congress party on Thursday released its first list of 21 candidates for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.

A major highlight of the list is the candidature of Sandeep Dikshit, son of former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who will contest from the prestigious New Delhi constituency. The seat is currently held by Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of AAP and former Delhi Chief Minister. Sandeep Dikshit's nomination was approved by the Congress's Central Election Committee (CEC).

The Congress has fielded several prominent leaders for key constituencies. Devender Yadav, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president, will contest from the Badli constituency.

Adarsh Shastri, grandson of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, has been given the ticket for the Dwarka seat. Haroon Yusuf, a senior party leader, will contest from Ballimaran, while Anil Bhardwaj has been named the candidate for Sadar Bazar. Bhardwaj is the chairman of the party's communication department for the Delhi unit. Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak has been fielded from Wazirpur.

Another significant name on the list is Abdul Rehman, a former AAP leader who recently joined Congress. He will contest from Seelampur, a seat he has represented as an MLA.

The full list of candidates includes Aruna Kumari (Narela), Mangesh Tyagi (Burari), Shivank Singhal (Adarsh Nagar), Jai Kishan (Sultanpur Majra), Rohit Chaudhary (Nangloi Jat), Praveen Jain (Shalimar Bagh), Mudit Agrawal (Chandni Chowk), PS Bawa (Tilak Nagar), Abhishek Dutt (Kasturba Nagar), Rajinder Tanwar (Chhatarpur), Jay Prakash (Ambedkar Nagar), Garvit Singhvi (Greater Kailash), Anil Kumar (Patparganj), and Ali Mahndi (Mustafabad).

This announcement marks the beginning of Congress's election campaign as it looks to challenge the AAP and BJP in the crucial Delhi Assembly elections. With a mix of experienced leaders and new faces, the party aims to strengthen its presence across the national capital.