Amid seat-sharing talks with Mahagathbandhan allies in Bihar, the Congress top leadership on Wednesday discussed party candidates for the upcoming assembly elections and is learnt to have finalised names of 25 candidates.

Fourteen of them are sitting MLAs, party sources said, even as the Mahagathbandhan continues to grapple with seat-sharing arrangement.

Sources also hinted that CLP leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan and state Congress chief Rajesh Ram feature among the names cleared in the first list, as the grand old party braces for a fierce electoral contest in Bihar scheduled to be held in November in two phases.

The Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting, chaired by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended virtually by Sonia Gandhi and LoP Rahul Gandhi, marked the Congress’ first

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