Jaipur, Aug 20 (IANS): The first meeting of the state election committee of the Congress in Rajasthan was held on Saturday.

When asked after the meeting if the party will give importance to the youth while distributing tickets for the Assembly elections scheduled later this year, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that only winnable nominees will be given tickets, as winnability is the sole criterion for the party when it comes to selection of candidates.

The Chief Minister said: "You must have seen that in the recently-concluded Assembly elections in Karnataka, a 90-year-old candidate contested the polls and won. That's why tickets will be given to those who can win."

Earlier, it was said that the party will give more importance to the youth factor when it comes to distributing tickets for the Assembly polls, but Gehlot's latest remarks made it clear that for the Congress, winnability is going to be the sole criterion for the selection of nominees.

The Congress is in the process of finalising its candidates' list for the upcoming polls, with senior party leaders saying that most of the nominees will be finalised before the Model Code of Conduct comes into force.

Besides Gehlot, Saturday's meeting was attended by the party's state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot, and all the leaders involved with the election committee.