BHUBANESWAR: Even as the political atmosphere of the state is charged over distribution of tickets by different political parties for the ensuing general elections, uncertainty looms over the selection of candidates for three crucial Assembly segments of the capital city.
While both BJD and BJP are yet to finalise their candidates for the three highly-contested constituencies - Ekamra Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar North and Bhubaneswar Central- of the city, Congress has maintained its silence on its contenders for the seats.
If insiders are to be believed, the delay in announcing candidates for the seats by the parties, especially the BJD, is lobbying by multiple aspirants. Sources said BJD is grappling with a surplus of aspirants vying for the prime seats, affecting its decision-making process.
Despite announcing tickets for 72 Assembly seats in the initial phase, the party has refrained from revealing its choice for the crucial constituencies. Apart from minister Ashok Chandra Panda, who has been winning from the Ekamra Bhubaneswar Assembly seat since 2009, four-time corporator Biranchi Mahasupakar and a few other candidates are vying to contest from the seat on a BJD ticket.
In Bhubaneswar North, incumbent MLA Susant Kumar Rout and former MLA Priyadarshi Mishra are the front runners, while a few other aspirants are also trying to reach out to the party leadership to get a BJD ticket.
Similarly, in Bhubaneswar Central, MLA Ananta Narayan Jena has multiple close contenders including corporator and former district president of Bhubaneswar Amaresh Jena for the party ticket. Both Mahasupakar and Jena had earlier visited Naveen Niwas and hoped of being given the opportunity to fight the electoral battle, indicating the intensity of competition within the party ranks for the pivotal seats.
Like BJD, BJP has also not yet made any announcement regarding the seats, though it is expected that the saffron party may announce its candidates for Ekamra Bhubaneswar and Bhubaneswar Central in the first list for Assembly seats.
A party insider said candidates have already been finalised for Ekamra Bhubaneswar and Bhubaneswar Central. In North, however, the announcement may get delayed due to multiple aspirants. Party spokesperson Dillip Mohanty, who had cornered the state government and BMC over multiple issues including garbage dumping and dengue menace, is said to be one of the front runners for the seat.
While the three major parties continue to deliberate over their selections, political experts said the eventual nominees will play a key role in shaping the political landscape of the capital region in the ensuing elections.