Congress has received applications from 1,688 aspirants who are upbeat about contesting the forthcoming Assembly elections as the party’s official candidates. The party began an eight-day interview schedule on Tuesday before it is expected to finalise the list of candidates for the constituencies it will share with the MVA partners after Dussehra.

The interviews are being carried out in a decentralised manner, with senior leaders visiting their assigned districts to evaluate the candidates. While the selection of certain individuals—such as senior leaders with electoral influence, sitting MLAs, and those with strong ties to the party leadership—is virtually guaranteed, other ticket hopefuls will still have the chance to make their case and improve their prospects.