Azharuddin to contest from Moradabad

New Delhi, March 27 (PTI) Former cricketer Mohammad
Azharudddin, who joined the Congress last month, was Friday
named by the party as its candidate for Moradabad
parliamentary seat in India's northern state Uttar Pradesh.

Azharuddin, 46, is among 14 candidates declared by the
party in the key state where it wants to revive its lost
support base by going it alone in the polls.

The former Indian batsman, who hails from Hyderabad,
was inducted in the party last month and there was speculation
that he might contest from Tonk in Rajasthan. Apart from
Moradabad, his name also figured as a possible candidate from
Meerut in UP.

So far, the Congress has announced 53 candidates in
the state where its negotiations with the Samajwadi Party for
seat sharing collapsed.

Former union minister Sanjay Singh was announced as
the candidate from Sultanpur, a constituency neighbouring Rae
Bareilly and Amethi from where party president Sonia Gandhi
and general secretary Rahul Gandhi will contest respectively.

Two recent entrants to the party - Ramesh Dubey
(Mirzapur) and Suryamani Tripathi (Bhadohi) too have been
fielded by the Congress. Both of them joined the party early
this week. MORE PTI AMI VSC
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