Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to contest from Hinjili, Bijepur assembly seats
BHUBANESWAR: In a first, chief minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik will contest from two seats, Bijepur in Bargarh district and Hinjili in Ganjam district in the upcoming Assembly elections. While Naveen is representing Hinjili in the assembly for the last four terms since 2000, he will venture for the first time outside his home turf by contesting from Bijepur seat.
The chief minister on Monday announced the candidate list for the first two-phase elections in Odisha scheduled on April 11 and 18 in which five sitting MPs out of seven have been denied tickets. Kalikesh Singhdeo, sitting MP from Bolangir has been renominated to contest the ensuing elections.
While Kausalya Hikaka has replaced her husband Jhina Hikana as the BJD’s candidate from Koraput Lok Sabha seat, SC and ST development minister Ramesh Majhi is the regional outfit’s nominee from neighbouring Nabarangpur parliamentary constituency. Ramesh has replaced sitting MP Balabhadra Majhi who has joined the BJP.
Former Urban Development Minister Pushpendra Singhdeo has been given ticket from Kalahandi Lok Sabha constituency replacing sitting MP Arka Keshari Deo while former union minister Chandrasekhar Sahu will be the candidate from Berhampur Lok Sabha seat. He replaced sitting MP Siddhant Mohapatra who was elected from the parliamentary seat for the last two consecutive terms. Both the times, Mohapatra had defeated Sahu.
The BJD has decided to field Pramila Bisoi, a woman candidate, from the Aska Lok Sabha constituency. Sitting MP, Ladu Kishore Swain had passed away in February this year. Similarly, BJD Rajya Sabha member Achyuta Samanta has replaced sitting Lok Sabha member from Kandhamal, Pratyusha Rajeshwari Singh, as the party’s candidate from the constituency.
Sitting MP from Bargarh Prabhas Singh has also been denied ticket for the ensuing elections. He has been replaced by Rajya Sabha member Prasanna Acharya. Sunita Biswal, daughter of former chief minister Hemananda Biswal and Congress veteran Hemananda Biswal has been given ticket for the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat.
However, the party has denied ticket to five-time MLA from Berhampur assembly constituency, Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik. He has been replaced by Bikram Kumar Panda, former president of the Berhampur District Congress Committee who had joined BJD along with former union minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu last year.
Former leader of the Opposition in the assembly and former Rajya Sabha member Bhupinder Singh has been given ticket from Narla assembly constituency. The party has renominated senior ministers Surjya Narayan Patro, Usha Devi, former deputy speaker Lal Bihari Himirika and former minister Rabi Narayan Nanda from Digapahandi, Chikiti, Rayagada and Jeypore assembly constituencies respectively.
Candidates of nine assembly constituencies out of the 63 going to polls in the first two phases are, however, yet to be announced.