Though the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) avoided a husband-wife fight in Koraput Lok Sabha seat by fielding sitting MLA from Laxmipur Jhina Hikaka instead of Hema Gamang to take on former chief minister Giridhar Gamang in the constituency, it pitted Prakruti Devi Singhdeo against State BJP president K V Singhdeo, elder brother of her husband Srivardhan Singhdeo, in Patnagarh Assembly constituency.
Hema Gamang, who was formally inducted to the BJD on Sunday, has been named as the party’s candidate for Laxmipur Assembly constituency. However, her younger brother Trinath Gamang has been given ticket from Gunupur Assembly segment by denying renomination to sitting MLA Ramamurty Mutika.
The BJD denied ticket to sitting MP from Kandhamal Rudramadhav Ray and announced Hemendra Singh as its candidate from the seat. Singh, who was the president of the Nayagarh District Congress Committee, had quit the party and joined the BJD recently. The BJD’s sitting MP from Koraput, Jayram Pangi, had opted out of electoral race earlier.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday announced the third list of the BJD candidates for the first phase polls on April 10. The party had earlier announced candidates for eight Lok Sabha and 48 Assembly seats going to polls in the first phase. The party has re-nominated Sugnani Kumari Deo for Kabisuryanagar segment in place of Latika Pradhan, who was given the ticket for the seat earlier, following strong resentment. Minister of State for School and Mass Education Rabi Narayan Nanda has been renominated from Jeypore seat while Ashok Pangi, the son Jayram Pangi, has been announced as the candidate for Kotpad Assembly seat. Koraput MLA Raghuram Padal has been denied ticket and a new face, Raghuram Maccha, has been nominated in his place. Six sitting MLAs have been dropped in the third list of candidates. They are Debendra Kanhar-Phulbani, Khageswar Behera-Chhendipada, Ramamurty Mutika-Gunupur, Niranjan Pradhan-Polasara, Kasinath Mallick-Daspalla and Raghuram Padal-Koraput. A political lightweight, Harekrushna Sarangi has been nominated as the BJD’s candidate from Balangir Assembly seat to replace former minister A U Singhdeo, who was elected to Rajya Sabha last month.
Other Assembly candidates are Sanjib Pratap Deo-Biramitrapur, Priyanshu Pradhan-Chhatrapur, Srikant Sahu-Polasara, Purna Chandra Nayak-Daspalla, Prafulla Pangi-Pottangi, Ashok Patua-Rengali, Susant Behera-Chhendipada, Sanjib Sahu-Athmallik, Basanti Mallick- Mohana, K Narayan Rao-Paralakhemundi, Rajib Patra-Baliguda, Raseswari Panigrahi-Sambalpur, Pradip Pradhan-G Udayagiri and Duguni Kanhar-Phulbani.