BHUBANESWAR: After missing the deadline twice, the State Congress on Monday finalised candidates for 44 Assembly constituencies. The list includes all the 15 legislators of the party.
Sources said rest of the 29 constituencies are non-controversial. Names of the candidates were finalised at a joint meeting of Odisha Pradesh Congress Election Committee (OPCEC) and Screening Committee. The constituencies for which candidates have been finalised include 20 from Southern Odisha, 11 from Western Odisha and 13 from coastal districts.
Announcing the finalisation of candidates, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik said nominees have been selected on the basis of winnability. “We have recommended names keeping in mind the winning prospects while emphasis has been laid on youth leaders,” Patnaik said.The first list will be announced after its approval by the central election committee of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
The exercise for finalisation of candidates was started on Sunday. Chairman of the Screening Committee VD Satheesan and two other members had a meeting with senior leaders of the party at Congress Bhavan where constituency-wise analysis of the Congress and winnability of different aspirants for party tickets were discussed.
Meanwhile, Congress received a jolt on the day after the resignation of Koraput MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria as general secretary of the party. Sagaria was removed from the post of chairman of the Scheduled Caste Cell of the party a few days back and appointed as one of the general secretaries of Congress. Sources said he was not happy with the decision.
Sagaria’s running spat with Congress chief whip in the Assembly Taraprasad Bahinipati had also exposed factionalism in the party in Koraput district where it has a strong base. Criticising the way the party is being run in the State, Sagaria announced that he will not quit the party and contest the next elections as a Congress candidate.