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Congress party leaders in Madhya Pradesh are facing a conundrum as the Lok Sabha Election 2024 approaches. With the Election Commission of India announcing the voting schedule from April 19 to June 1, and results slated for release on June 4, the pressure mounts for parties to finalize their candidates. However, the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh is grappling with significant delays in naming contenders for the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has swiftly fielded candidates for all seats, Congress has only managed to announce 10 names so far. The party is struggling to find suitable contenders for the remaining 18 seats, with one seat designated for its ally, the Samajwadi Party.

Key party stalwarts, including former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and current MLA Kamal Nath, have declined to contest the elections. Singh cited his current position as a Rajya Sabha MP, while Nath emphasized his commitment to his constituency of Chhindwara.

State President Jitu Patwari is also eschewing electoral participation, expressing a desire to focus on state politics and aspirations for the Chief Minister's post. This reluctance among prominent leaders has left the party scrambling to identify viable candidates, resulting in a delay in candidate declarations.

The Congress party is particularly challenged in securing strong candidates for urban constituencies such as Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, and Gwalior. The party high command is reportedly displeased with the hesitancy of senior leaders.

Compounding the issue, Congress is facing pressure to field women candidates in response to BJP's proactive stance on women's reservation. However, selecting winning female candidates poses an additional challenge for the party.

Amidst these challenges, Congress's Central Election Committee (CEC) is scheduled to convene on Wednesday. It is anticipated that following this meeting, the party will finally unveil its list of candidates, possibly on Thursday or Friday. Congress aims to contest 28 out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, with the remaining seat allocated to its alliance partner, the Samajwadi Party.

The delay in candidate announcements is pointing to the complexities faced by political parties as they navigate electoral dynamics and internal party dynamics ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.