BJD Names 9 Lok Sabha Candidates, 72 Assembly Poll Nominees

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday declared the first list of nine candidates for the Lok Sabha and 72 for the Odisha Assembly elections.

Odisha has 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly constituencies. Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly elections will be held simultaneously in four phases May 13, 20, 25 and June 1.

Patnaik himself will contest from the Hinjili Assembly segment in Ganjam district.

Of the 72 Assembly candidates, 13 were new faces and 12 were women candidates.

The BJD president has re-nominated most of the ministers and Assembly Speaker Pramila Mallik. She will contest from her traditional Binjharpur seat in Jajpur district.

The ministers who have been re-nominated to contest the assembly elections were: Jagannath Saraka ( Bisam Cuttack), Rita Sahu (Bijepur), Ashwini Patra (Jaleswar), Preeti Ranjan Gharai (Sukinda), Prafulla Samal (Kamakshya Nagar), Niranjan Pujari (Sonepur), Tukuni Sahu (Titlagarh), Rajendra Dholkia (Nuapada), Pradip Amat (Boudh), Ranendra Pratap Swain (Athagah). Pratap Deb (Aul) and Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak (Mahakalpada).

In Lok Sabha elections, the BJD has fielded party general secretary (Organisation) Pranab Prakash Das in the Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency against Union Minister and BJP candidate Dharmendra Pradhan.

Odisha Minister Sudam Marndi will contest from the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat while former Indian Hockey skipper Dilip Tirky will face former Union Minister and sitting MP Jual Oram in the Sundergarh Lok Sabha seat.

The other candidates for Lok Sabha seats were: Lambodar Nial (Kalahandi), Ansuman Mohanty (Kendrapara), Pradip Kumar Majhi (Nabarangpur) and Manmath Routray, who joined BJD from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat.

Other Lok Sabha candidates were: Kausalya Hikaka (Koraput), Ranjita Sahu (Aska).

Prominent leaders re-nominated to contest the assembly elections were: Susanth Singh (Bhatli), Prafulla Samal (Bhadrak), Dibya Shankar Mishra (Junagarh), Debi Prasad Mishra (Baramba), Arun Kumar Sahoo (Nayagarh), Srikant Sahu (Polsara) and Badrinarayan Patra (Ghasipura).

Patnaik’s arch political rival Bijay Mohapatra’s son who joined the BJD recently, was nominated by the party to contest from Patkura assembly segment in Kendrapara district. Similarly, late speaker SN Patro’s son Biplab Patro has been nominated to contest from Dighapandi assembly segment.

Uma Samantray has been shifted to Brahmagri assembly seat while former minister Sanjay Dasburma will contest from Satyabadi segment.

The other candidates for the Assembly polls were Raghunath Gamango from Gunupur, Anusaya Majhi from Rayagada, Debesh Acharya (Bargarh), Snehangini Churia (Atabira), Subhasini Jena (Basata), Sanjeeb Mallik (Bhandaripokhari), Debi Tripathy (Banki), Sauvik Biswal (Cuttack Choudhwar), Chandra Sarathi Behera (Cuttack Sadar), Suni Mohanty (Puri).