Odisha: BJD releases first list of nine Lok Sabha, 72 assembly candidates

BHUBANESWAR: Chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced BJD’s first list of nine Lok Sabha candidates and 72 assembly contestants for the simultaneous polls scheduled from May 13.

Naveen will re-contest from Hinjili seat for a sixth term. BJD general secretary (organization) Pranab Prakash Das has been pitted against Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan of BJP in Sambalpur. Das is a three-time MLA from Jajpur.

BJD fielded Manmath Routray, son of Congress veteran Suresh Routray, from Bhubaneswar, hours after he joined the regional party. Former Congress MLA Anshuman Mohanty, who had joined the BJD recently, has been named party candidate from Kendrapada Lok Saha seat. The BJD dropped sitting MP and film actor Anubhav Mohanty from the seat

Pradeep Majhi, who had joined BJD in 2021 after quitting Congress, is BJD nominee for Nabarangpur. He had unsuccessfully fought from the same seat on Congress ticket in 2019. Pradeep was elected to Lok Sabha from Nabarangpur in 2009 as a Congress candidate. BJD fielded sitting MP Ramesh Majhi from Jharigam assembly seat, which he had represented thrice earlier (2004, 2009 and 2014).

Naveen named Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey as BJD contestant from Sundargarh. Tirkey, a former Rajya Sabha member, had unsuccessfully fought the LS poll from Sundargarh in 2014, but did not contest in 2019.

Revenue minister Sudam Marndi, a five-time MLA, has been named BJD candidate from Mayurbhanj. Marndi was elected Mayurbhanj MP in 2004 as a JMM candidate. The party fielded Lambodhar Nial from Kalahandi and Ranjita Sahu from Aska. Nial had unsuccessfully fought the 2019 assembly election from Khariar on a BJD ticket.

Of the nine Lok Sabha candidates, only one, Kausalya Hikaka from Koraput, fought the 2019 Lok Sabha poll on BJD ticket. She had lost to Saptagiri Ulaka of the Congress then.


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