BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced candidates for nine Lok Sabha and 71 assembly seats for the ensuing elections.
While the chief minister will contest from the Hinjili assembly seat from where he has won for five consecutive times, organisational secretary of the party Pranab Prakash Das will contest from Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat against union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In a curious turn of developments, Manmath Routray, son of senior Congress leader Suresh Kumar Routray has been fielded from the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat hours after he joined the BJD. Former MP Pradeep Kumar Majhi has been announced as party’s candidate from Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat while Kaushalya Hikaka, who had lost to Saptagiri Ulaka of the Congress by slender margin over 3600 votes has been renominated from the Koraput Lok Sabha. Majhi had won the Lok Sabha from the Nabarangpur seat in 2009 on a Congress ticket. He had joined the BJD in 2021.
Hockey India captain Dilip Tirkey will again take on former union minister and BJP heavyweight Jual Oram from the Sundargarh Lok Sabha while revenue and disaster management minister Sudam Marndi has been fielded from the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha seat. Tirkey was the BJD candidate from the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and had lost Oram by over 18,000 votes.
Besides, the BJD dropped sitting MP Anubhav Mohanty and nominated Anshuman Mohanty from Kendrapada. Mohanty, a former Congress MLA, had joined BJD in March first week.
The party has nominated Ranjita Sahu, a new face from the Aska Lok Sabha constituency. Ranjita is daughter of Hara Prasad Sahu, a local BJD leader and former chairman of Kodala notified area council. Her mother Sunitaprava Sahu is also a former chairperson of Kodala NAC. Ranjita has been active in Kabisuryanagar assembly segment.
The chief minister also announced candidates for 71 assembly seats including 13 new faces. The BJD has fielded health and family welfare minister Niranjan Pujari from Sonepur while Kalihesh Singhdeo, a former MP from Balangir has been nominated from the same assembly seat. Sunil Mohanty, son of former speaker Maheswar Mohanty has been fielded from Puri assembly seat while former minister Sanjay Dasburma will contest from Satyabadi seat. Sitting BJD MLA from Uma Samantray has been shifted to Bramhagiri assembly seat.